U.S. Urges Puerto Rico to Spray for Zika as More Pregnant Women Get Infected

 

By Associated Press

As many as 50 pregnant women a day are becoming infected with Zika in Puerto Rico. The best defense is aerial spraying, said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) to The Associated Press.

Zika is a virus spread by mosquitos that can cause microcephaly, which results in babies being born with brain damage and abnormally small heads.

Frieden said Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, lacks an integrated mosquito control program.

"If any part of the continental U.S. had the kind of spread of Zika that Puerto Rico has now, they would have sprayed months ago," said Frieden. "This is more a question of neglect than anything else. ... If we wait until children with microcephaly are born, it will be too late. That's the problem." 

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Source: NBC News