Obama Likely to Sign Zika Drug Bill Despite Being ‘Meager Accomplishment’

US President Barack Obama will likely sign the House bill aimed at accelerating development of vaccines and treatments for the Zika virus, despite the legislation being insufficient to fully fight the outbreak, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, the US House passed S. 2512, legislation that would incentivize the development, testing and distribution of a vaccine to treat the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

"I would anticipate that the president will sign the bill…but it is insufficient to ensuring that our country is prepared for a situation that could have a significant impact," Earnest said, adding that the passage of the bill was "positive" but a "meager accomplishment."

Last week, the Obama administration announced it was going to take over half a million dollars from its Ebola funds to fight Zika, but called on Congress to approve a $1.8 billion emergency supplemental request, warning that without the funds the United States would not be able to sufficiently respond to the virus.

The current Zika outbreak started in Brazil in the spring of 2015 and has since spread across Latin America, with cases reported in several European countries, the Pacific and the United States. At present, there is no available vaccine against the Zika virus, which has been linked to severe brain damage and underdevelopment in newborn babies, known as microcephaly.