The United States government has declared a public health emergency for Puerto Rico, following the spread of the mosquito-borne virus Zika.
The declaration was made by US Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell at the request of Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla.
The move signals that “the current spread of Zika virus poses a significant threat to public health in the Commonwealth relating to pregnant women and children born to pregnant women with Zika,” the department said in a statement.
“This Administration is committed to meeting the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico with the necessary urgency,” Secretary Burwell said. “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. This emergency declaration allows us to provide additional support to the Puerto Rican government and reminds us of the importance of pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and their partners taking additional steps to protect themselves and their families from Zika.”
Zika virus is known to cause microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects, and has been associated with other adverse pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage, stillbrith and serious neurological problems.
As of August 12, there have been 10,690 laboratory confirmed cases of Zika in Puerto Rico, including 1,035 pregnant women.
The virus is less impactful if one is not a pregnant woman, however; just one in five people display even show symptoms after contracting the virus.
“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. “This is why we are actively looking for alternatives to prevent the number of infections from increasing. The declaration made by HHS, which grants access to certain funds, is another example of collaboration between the federal government and the government of Puerto Rico. We will continue our campaign to guide Puerto Ricans on the steps needed to prevent becoming infected with Zika; especially to prevent the virus from affecting pregnant women. We will also continue assisting communities on the island in order to eliminate potential breeding sites and using land methods to attack adult mosquitoes.”
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.