Feds Closer To Dx Distinguishing Zika From Dengue As HHS Tries To Plug Funding Gap

The US Department of Health and Human Services gave up on getting new funding from Congress in 2016 to fight Zika virus, and instead juggled its budget this week to throw $81m at the Zika vaccine effort. And while there has been headway on a test to differentiate Zika from Dengue, HHS Secretary Burwell told House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in an Aug. 11 letter that NIH currently lacks funds to support diagnostics and other Zika priorities.