With Congress still deadlocked over President Obama’s request of $1.9 billion new funds towards Zika prevention and control, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Sylvia M. Burwell announced plans to shift $81 million from other HHS budgets to address the Zika epidemic. Who are the winners and losers with this announcement? First the losers.
Loser: National Institutes of Health (NIH): The $81 million funding for Zika response will include $34 million reallocated from other NIH programs. Is this like covering bleeding in your arm by cutting skin off your leg ?