The U.S. government on Friday declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico as a result of a Zika epidemic.
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“This Administration is committed to meeting the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico with the necessary urgency”, Burwell said. It causes mild, flu-like symptoms in most people, but can cause severe brain-related defects, including disastrously small heads, if women are infected during pregnancy. As of August 12, there were 10,690 confirmed cases of Zika on the island, a number that includes 1,035 pregnant women.
Puerto Rico Health Secretary Ana Rius said 90 people have been hospitalized because of Zika. Florida has reported homegrown Zika transmission by mosquitoes. There are now 28 cases of Zika virus that were not contracted due to travel. That has now increased to 25 cases, according to Florida health officials.
Zika is a mosquito-borne virus.
The public health emergency declaration is a tool for the federal government to provide fresh support to Puerto Rico’s government to tackle the outbreak and grants access to certain federal funds.
It was the second important step to fight Zika that the federal government has taken in as many days. On Thursday, the Obama administration announced it would be diverting $81 million from research and healthcare programs to find a Zika vaccine after a deadlocked Congress refused to approve new funding.
HHS made the declaration at the request of Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro García Padilla.
The public health emergency declaration means Puerto Rico’s government can now apply for funding to hire and train unemployed workers to assist in vector control and outreach efforts, and request the temporary reassignment of local public health or agency personnel to assist in Zika response.
“These are people who are more at risk”, said Dr. John Harlin, who helped pass the packets, which he says are safe for pregnant women. More than 70 percent of those surveyed said they were concerned about the virus, but less than 10 percent of those with concerns changed their travel plans, according to researchers at the university’s Tourism Crisis Management Initiative (TCMI).
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“The threat of Zika to future generations of Puerto Ricans is evident, and I feel a responsibility to do everything that is within my reach to make sure we fight the spread of the virus”, Garcia Padilla said in a statement. At the same time, Democrats in the Senate continue to block any bill put forth to provide additional funding to combat Zika.
