There are 117 confirmed cases of Zika virus in Puerto Rico , four times the number at the end of January ; with a population of 3.5 m people , it makes it by far the most affected nation in the US says Tom Frieden of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention . Puerto Rico is one of America 's poorest and most vulnerable states ; it is debt - ridden and lacks a functioning healthcare system , window screens or sprays to work against mosquitoes spreading the virus . The number infected is expected to rise sharply in the coming weeks , increasing the likelihood of the virus spreading to the US . This outbreak lays bare how deeply Puerto Rico ' 's economic crisis has cut public programmes including the basic healthcare infrastructure to fight the virus .
There are 117 confirmed cases of Zika virus in Puerto Rico, four times the number at the end of January; with a population of 3.5m people, it makes it by far the most affected area in the US says Tom Frieden of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Puerto Rico is one of America's poorest and most vulnerable states; it is debt-ridden and lacks a functioning healthcare system, window screens or sprays to work against mosquitoes spreading the virus. The number infected is expected to rise sharply in the coming weeks, increasing the likelihood of the virus spreading to the US. This outbreak lays bare how deeply Puerto Rico''s debt crisis has cut public programmes including the basic healthcare needed to fight the virus.