Hillary Clinton will send two of her top aides to Puerto Rico this weekend to meet with heath officials and discuss the possible implications of the rapid spread of the Zika virus.
Both Ann O’Leary and Amanda Renteria will travel to the U.S. commonwealth, which has had over 400 confirmed cases of Zika thus far. Some experts predict the virus could infect as much as 80 percent of Puerto Rico’s 3.5 million residents if the it isn’t stopped. While most people do not suffer serious illness as a result of the virus, it can cause birth defects when contracted by pregnant women.
“The CDC is taking this threat seriously and it has been working closely with Puerto Rico. But I want to be sure that we are truly doing all we can to fight the Zika virus from spreading,” Clinton said in a statement. “That’s why I’m sending two of my senior advisors to travel to Puerto Rico on a fact-finding mission to learn more about how Zika is impacting the island, and to determine what more we can do to assist Puerto Rico in responding to this health crisis.”
She added, “Zika is an urgent problem and we need to act now.”
CDC director Tom Frieden first visited Puerto Rico last month to assess the situation. The virus is spread by mosquitos and through sexual contact. It is currently present in about 30 U.S. states.
