LAS VEGAS -- Money that had been earmarked for the Southern Nevada Health District's hepatitis investigation was stripped from an emergency spending bill before it was sent to the White House.

Lawmakers denied the $5 million request from the state department, which was to be used to subsidize the investigation into the hepatitis C outbreak in Las Vegas. A $21 million initiative by Nevada Sen. Harry Reid for outbreak prevention strategies at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was also dropped.

A portion of the CDC money would have been budgeted in Las Vegas. Authorities continue to investigate whether a group of clinics may have spread the potentially deadly disease.

These requests come after the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada exposed 50,000 people between March 2004 and January 2008. The staff at the facility reused medical vials and syringes on multiple patients, leading to the outbreak, officials said.

Eight people have contracted acute hepatitis C from the exposure, health officials said, with another potential 80 cases of hepatitis B, C and HIV linked to the outbreak.

Since the investigation began in February, six centers connected to Dr. Dipak Desai -- who owned and operated the Endoscopy Center -- have been closed to medical practice and five nurses have recused their licenses.

Officials said it could take months to determine how many infections are actually tied to the outbreak caused by the Endoscopy Center.