With more than 10,000 confirmed Zika cases on the island, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Friday declared a public-health emergency in Puerto Rico. U.S. health authorities yesterday declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico due to the outbreak of Zika, which has now infected more than 10,000 people.
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While most people who contract Zika suffer no symptoms, the virus is considered to be particularly unsafe for pregnant women because it can cause birth defects including microcephaly – a condition in which infants are born with small heads.
Garcia recently authorized the use of Bti, an organic larvicide, to fight the spread of Zika after rejecting aerial spraying with the insecticide naled as proposed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The virus can also be spread by sex, prompting public health officials to advise that people who have been infected refrain from unprotected sex for several months.
Dr. Pang also adds that, “As the cases increase worldwide, we can expect more imported cases to Maui and we ask for everyone’s kokua to report suspected illnesses as well as mosquito control”.
Ms. Aeschliman said she could not comment on whether the Williams County woman was pregnant or not.
It is estimated that 1.5 million people have been infected by Zika in Brazil, with over 3,500 cases of microcephaly reported between October 2015 and January 2016.
It was the second important step to fight Zika that the federal government has taken in as many days.
State residents are considered at low risk for the viral infection, but travelers and pregnant women are advised to take precautions.
In late July, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention set up a fund of almost $60 million to states, cities, and territories battling the virus.
“This administration is committed to meeting the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico with the necessary urgency”, Sylvia Burwell, US health and human services secretary, said in a statement.
The doctors’ report suggests the potential for the sexual transmission of the virus may be greater than previously thought. Without central government direction and funding, Zika could become this generation’s yellow fever.
Congressional Republicans resisted emergency funding, seeking instead to find cuts to pay for the $1.1 billion approved.
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US intensifies its protection against the virus Zika spreading, in Miami, for example, insect-control workers make needed preparations for possible local outbreaks of their own.
