Former Secretary of State and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton will send two top aides to Puerto Rico to learn more about the Zika virus and how to fight it, according to Reuters.
As of April 13, there have been 445 locally acquired cases of Zika reported in Puerto Rico. The CDC has expressed serious concern about the potential impact of the virus on the island territory.
"The CDC and Prevention 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," said former Secretary Clinton in a statement provided to Reuters by her campaign.
The CDC recently expanded the scope of the potential Zika threat in the continental U.S. On April 13, the agency confirmed the link between Zika and the birth defect microcephaly. Approval for the $1.9 billion requested by the Obama administration to combat the virus has stagnated at the congressional level.
"Zika is an urgent problem and we need to act now," Ms. Clinton added in the statement.
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