Nearly three in four Americans want the U.S. to spend more money on researching the Zika virus and preventing its spread, a new survey finds.
A poll released Thursday morning by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 73 percent of respondents want more research done on Zika and 72 percent want to invest more in preventing the birth defect-causing virus from spreading around the country.
Majorities of voters in both parties want more investment in Zika. Eighty percent of Democrats and 66 percent of Republicans said more money should be spent on prevention efforts.
Meanwhile, a Zika-funding bill remains stalled in Congress, as Senate Democrats continue blocking a $1.1 billion bill advanced by Republicans. The parties are in dispute over how much to spend and whether to offset the spending. President Obama has requested $1.9 billion.
Zika, which is known to cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly, has been confirmed in 820 people in the U.S. It’s believed the virus is not yet being spread locally, as all of the cases so far are linked to traveling abroad.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes have Health have said they need more money to adequately address the outbreak and develop a Zika vaccine.
