US shows concern about Zika impact in Haiti

Brasilia.- A top US health official expressed "extreme concern" Friday over the potential for Zika to expand throughout Haiti and pointed out the United States is helping the deeply impoverished nation prepare.

According to Mmenafn.com, there was "extreme concern of Haiti in terms of impact that dengue has there, and of course, the vulnerable population is a challenge," said Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control.

Schuchat spoke while in the Brazilian capital of Brasilia studying an outbreak of the Zika virus, which is widely believed to cause microcephaly, a serious birth defect, in babies born to infected women.

The US expert said that with the northern hemisphere summer appoaching, a rise in mosquito numbers is expected and Haiti, which confirmed its first cases of Zika in January, needs to prepare.

"We are concerned about many countries. Certainly in Colombia they have seen a rapid increase in Zika cases. In the US we are working very closely with Puerto Rico and we are very concerned about the months ahead," Schuchat said.