Image:A flyer that reads, “Questions and answers: Zica virus infection during pregnancy” is seen posted outside a doctor’s office, at a public hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, February 3, 2016. REUTERS/Alvin Baez
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House said on Monday it was concerned the debt crisis confronting Puerto Rico could hamper its ability to deal with the potential public health crisis caused by the spread of the Zika virus, which has sickened nearly people 700 on the island.
“Given the fact that there are reported cases of the Zika virus in Puerto Rico, this seems like a pretty bad time for investments in Puerto Rico’s public health system to be cut,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told a news briefing.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by David Alexander)
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