Republicans in negotiations on delayed funding to combat the Zika virus are promising an agreement, as they focus on a $1.1 billion deal. Negotiators met on Wednesday, but only made opening speeches to satisfy the requirements for at least one public negotiating session. President Barack Obama requested $1.9 billion four months ago, but Congress did nothing for weeks, so he borrowed from unspent funds from the Ebola crisis to provide mosquito control, research into a vaccine, better tests to detect the virus, and help for foreign countries in their battles against Zika. The World Health Organisation said on Tuesday that the Rio Olympics may help spread the Zika virus around the world, but no faster than it's already spreading. Brazil already has many international travellers, and Zika is now active in 40 countries, including much of Latin America and the Caribbean.