Zika virus 'scarier' than thought: US health officials

The Zika virus is "scarier" than previously thought, US health officials warned as they urged Congress to unblock funding to fight the mosquito-borne virus linked to birth defects. President Barack Obama's administration has asked lawmakers for $1.9 billion to boost preparedness and response to Zika, a poorly understood virus which has been linked to severe brain damage in babies -- but the request has stalled. Borne by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, Zika has spread quickly to more than 30 places in Latin America and the Caribbean since last year.