Biosecurity

Feds say Zika virus 'scarier than we initially thought'

Federal health officials say the Zika virus is a much bigger problem than they first imagined, and put out an urgent call on Monday for Congress to approve nearly $2 billion in new spending to fight it.

"We are quite concerned about Puerto Rico, where the virus is spreading throughout the island" and where hundreds of thousands of cases could emerge, Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at the White House.

"Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought," Schuchat added. Although researches now believe 30 U.S. states are at risk — double than previously believed — she said they do not expect a major outbreak of the tropical diseases on the continental U.S.