Zika spreading rapidly through Puerto Rico: CDC
The Zika virus is spreading fast through Puerto Rico, placing hundreds of pregnant women at risk for delivering babies with the devastating birth defect known as microcephaly, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
Testing of blood donations in Puerto Rico -- our most accurate real-time leading indicator of Zika activity -- shows that more and more people on the U.S. island territory have been infected with the mosquito-borne virus, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said during a media briefing.
Based on the best information available, Zika infections appear to be increasing rapidly in Puerto Rico, Frieden said.
The real importance of this information is that in coming months its possible that thousands of pregnant women in Puerto Rico could become infected with Zika, he stressed. This could lead to dozens or hundreds of infants being born with microcephaly in the coming year.
In microcephaly, a newborns head is smaller than normal, with the potential for long-term neurological damage.
Blood centers in Puerto Rico began testing donations for Zika on April 3, using an experimental test made by New Jersey-based Roche Molecular Systems Inc., according to the CDC.
HealthDay
