Zika virus which is mostly spread by mosquitoes has been linked to a condition known as microcephaly which makes babies to be born with underdeveloped brain.
The funding being requested for by Obama will be used amongst other initiatives for mosquito control efforts as well as vaccine research programmes.
According to the White House, the funds will go towards
"enhancing the ability of Zika-affected countries to better combat mosquitoes and control transmission" of the virus.
According to Pan American Health Organisation, the zika virus is currently being transmitted in 26 countries in the Americas.
The United States Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed 50 cases of the virus in United States in people who had travelled to affected regions and returned to United States.
Only last week, a pregnant woman was confirmed with the Zika virus in Dallas, Texas and there is fear that as the warmer months begin in the northern hemisphere and mosquitoes become more active, local transmission will pose a very serious problem.
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