12 February 2016 - Business View Caribbean
Opening
Lines
Puerto Rico Declares Public Health
Emergency Over Zika Virus
Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla de-
clared a public health emergency because of the
zika virus, a government statement said.
Trinidad and Tobago declared a similar national
health emergency on January 29 and on February 1
the World Health Organization announced that the
“explosive spread” of the zika virus in the Americas
represented an international public health emergen-
cy.
The WHO has reported 267 separate zika outbreaks
in the Americas, with Brazil reporting the greatest
number of zika infections at more than one million.
Colombia has more than 20,000, the WHO said.
In Puerto Rico, health officials have confirmed 22
cases, including a pregnant woman and a man with
zika who developed Guillain-Barre syndrome, a sep-
arate government statement said. Guillain-Barre is
a rare disorder in which the body’s immune system
