Health Emergency in Puerto Rico Over Zika

U.S. authorities have declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico as 1,914 new cases of the Zika virus were reported in the past week. “This administration is committed to meeting the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico with the necessary urgency,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a statement Friday. The declaration allows the department to award grants, access emergency funds, and temporarily appoint personnel to fight the spread of the virus. Puerto Rico has recorded 10,690 cases of the virus since December, with a huge increase in the past week. Of those infected, 1,035 were pregnant women, fueling concerns of serious birth defects among the next generation. The U.S. surgeon general visited Puerto Rico earlier this week and warned that he expected 25 percent of Puerto Rico’s population to be infected with Zika by the end of 2016.