The World Health Organization says it will spend $56 million to guide its international response to the Zika virus, which is raging through the Americas.
The $56 million, outlined in a plan released late Tuesday, would be used to oversee a global response to the virus and boost efforts to kill mosquitoes, which primarily spread Zika to humans.
Of the $56 million, about $25 million would fund the response and $31 million would go to partners developing vaccines and new tools to fighting the virus.
Zika has spread to nearly 30 countries and territories. While the virus itself causes a mild illness, public health officials are increasingly concerned that it may be linked to a birth defect called microcephaly that causes babies to be born with small heads. Zika also may be associated with a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause paralysis.
The WHO declared Zika a worldwide emergency Feb. 1.
The plan allocates about $14 million to provide guidance and mitigate the impact of Zika on women who are pregnant or of child-bearing age. It also doles out $6 million to boost efforts to kill the Aedes mosquito, which primarily spreads Zika through biting people.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has asked for about $1.8 billion in emergency funding to combat the virus outbreak. About 50 suspected cases of Zika have been found in the U.S., but a majority are people who recently traveled to a country where the virus is spreading. In one case, a woman in Texas got Zika through sex with an infected man.
