Health Officials Call Zika Outbreak 'Scarier Than We Initially Thought'

BOSTON (CBS) - Public health officials referred to the Zika outbreak as "scarier" than initially thought during a White House news conference on Monday.

"While we absolutely hope we don't see widespread local transmission in the continental U.S., we need the states to be ready for that," Dr Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and prevention said.

Schuchat and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, described some of the birth defects linked to Zika including prematurity, blindness, and miscarriage. Those defects are in addition to Microcephaly which causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads.

"The virus is likely to be a problem at much of the pregnancy period, not just probably the first trimester," Schuchat said.

Zika is also linked to some neurological complications in adults.

Schuchat and Fauci called on Congress to approve $1.9 billion in spending to combat the virus. Just one week ago, the White House informed Congress it was moving $510 million left over from combating Ebola towards the Zika prevention effort.

The news conference comes as the CDC reports there are 346 confirmed cases of Zika in the continental United States – seven cases in Massachusetts. All of these cases were linked to people who had recently traveled to Zika-prone countries.

The CDC also reports that mosquitoes capable of transmitting the virus are located in 30 states, including Massachusetts.