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The head of the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday turned down the Obama administration’s request for emergency funding to fight the Zika virus, citing a pool of funding leftover from the Ebola virus. Federal health officials had requested $1.8 billion to combat the Zika virus both in the U.S. and abroad. Most of that money would have gone to the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) for research into vaccines and diagnostics of the relatively unknown disease, which is largely spread by mosquitoes and has infected dozens of people in the U.S. since spreading from Latin America. (Ferris, 2/18)

Obama administration officials are increasingly worried about Puerto Rico’s ability to handle a projected influx of Zika virus cases, given the territory’s struggling health care infrastructure and limits on federal Medicaid funding. U.S. health officials said last week that they expect a significant number of Zika cases in Puerto Rico because the mosquito that spreads the virus is common there. Health and Human Services Department officials on Thursday noted the Zika outbreak in detailing its emergency plan to help Puerto Rico. Among other things, the administration wants to temporarily lift a cap on Medicaid—increasing the territory’s federal Medicaid share with about $250 million in additional federal assistance. (Armour, 2/18)

The Obama administration is calling for Congress to act to increase healthcare funding for Puerto Rico through changes to the Medicaid program there. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday highlighted requests President Obama made in his budget last week to increase healthcare funding for the island territory, part of a broader administration push to assist Puerto Rico and address its debt crisis. (Sulivan, 2/18)

The outbreak of the Zika virus that has swept Latin America in recent months will have an economic impact on the region’s countries of $3.5 billion in 2016, the World Bank said Thursday. The estimate of the economic impact of the disease is based on expectations of a fast and coordinated effort to control the spread of Zika and on the assumption that the main risks of the virus are to pregnant women, the international organization said in a note. (Lewis and Magalhaes, 2/18)

The funding, being made available immediately, comes after extensive consultations with governments in the region, the bank said in a statement. The bank said it could provide additional financing if needed. Based on its projections, the short-term economic impact of Zika on the region is likely to be about $3.5 billion. The countries that are likely to see significant impacts include: Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Argentina, Belize and Jamaica. (Dennis and Sun, 2/18)

A Seattle sperm bank has deferred a potential donor who traveled to an area where Zika virus is spreading, part of growing new precautions aimed at keeping U.S. blood and tissue supplies safe. (Aleccia, 2/18)

Two new cases of Zika virus infection in Miami-Dade were confirmed Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 24, the Florida Department of Health reported. Nine cases of Zika infection have been confirmed in Miami-Dade — more than twice the number verified in any other county in the state. All Zika infections were acquired outside the state by travelers, health officials reported, and no cases involve pregnant women, who are considered at greatest risk. (Chang, 2/18)