The mosquito-borne virus has infected 1,035 pregnant women, which is a concern to authorities because Zika has been tied to a severe birth defect known as microcephaly.
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The sharp increase in reported infections adds to Puerto Rico’s already 10,690 cases of the Zika virus since December.
Puerto Rico is officially in a declared public health emergency over the Zika virus following 1,914 newly reported cases in the past week alone, The Guardian reported Friday night.
“As the first virus that can be transmitted by mosquitoes known to cause severe birth defects, we are working closely with Puerto Rican officials to pursue solutions to fight the virus in Puerto Rico with a focus on protecting pregnant women and continuing our efforts with jurisdictions throughout the United States to address this public health threat”.
Puerto Rico reported the first microcephaly case acquired on USA soil in May, involving a dead fetus that a woman turned over to health authorities.
With the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, health officials worldwide have voiced concerns over a potential crisis, both in Brazil and when global athletes and tourists, who may be unknowingly infected, return home and possibly spread the virus. The action gives the government access to additional funding to fight Zika as congressional efforts to allocate money remain stalled.
Burwell announced Thursday that she will transfer $81 million from other areas of her agency to prevent delays on Zika vaccines now in development.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell declared the emergency at the request of Puerto Rico’s governor, Alejandro García Padilla, because of the threat to pregnant women and their children.
Specifically, declaration allows the government of Puerto Rico to apply for funding to hire and train unemployed workers to assist in vector control and outreach and education efforts through the US Department of Labor’s National Dislocated Worker Grant program.
It also allows Puerto Rico to temporarily reassign public health workers to assist in the Zika response.
Zika has spread rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean region since 2015.
A bill providing US$1.1 billion was blocked by Democrats after Republicans attached language to stop abortion-provider Planned Parenthood from using that government funding for healthcare services, mainly in USA territories like Puerto Rico.
Also on Friday, Florida said three more people had become infected with Zika by local mosquitoes, bringing the total to 28.
President Obama asked Congress for $1.9 billion in emergency funding for Zika in February.
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The Republican legislation also would siphon off unused money under Obama’s signature 2010 healthcare law to combat Zika.
