Obama urges Congress to pass Zika prevention bill
Reporting from Washington — President Barack Obama says a vaccine for the Zika virus could be developed in “fairly short order” if Congress acts quickly to pass a bill to prevent the spread of the disease.
Obama says researchers are beginning to develop and test a vaccine for the mosquito-borne virus. He says that if the effort is well funded he’s “fairly confident” an effective vaccine could be developed before the virus spreads to the continental U.S.
Full coverage: Zika virus outbreak »
Obama made the remarks Friday after being briefed by top health officials at the White House.
The president is trying to pressure Congress to pass a Zika prevention bill that has been stalled for weeks. He criticized lawmakers for “playing politics” with public health. He says lawmakers should not take their summer recess before passing a bill.
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