WASHINGTON (AP) — Beg, borrow and steal: Zika preparation involves a bit of all three as federal, state and local health officials try to get a jump on the mosquito-borne virus while Congress haggles over how much money they really need.
With federal financing in limbo, health officials are shifting resources and setting priorities — and not just where mosquitoes have arrived. All but six states so far have seen travel-associated cases of Zika.
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health says he’s stealing from malaria, tuberculosis and influenza research to finance the hunt for a Zika vaccine.
But what if another health emergency comes along at the same time? Dr. Tim Jones, Tennessee’s state epidemiologist, says it’s risky to cut from one program to fund the “disease of the day.”
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