WASHINGTON — The White House will convene a summit in April with state and local officials in an effort to control the mosquito spreading Zika virus, administration officials confirmed Friday.
The virus, which has been linked to the birth defect microcephaly, is projected to reach the continental United States by June or July because its carrier, Aedes mosquitoes, could arrive as early as April or May. It already is a serious problem in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
There are 117 confirmed cases of the virus in Puerto Rico, four times the number at the end of January. The territory, which has a population of 3.5 million people and has been struggling with a massive debt, is “by far the most affected area” in the United States, Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday.
Frieden will be traveling next week to Puerto Rico, according to agency officials.
The Zika Readiness Action Plan Summit, which will take place April 1 at CDC’s Atlanta headquarters, was first reported by Reuters on Friday morning.
The meeting is part of a broad administration strategy to establish a coalition of federal, state and local leaders to formulate a coordinated approach for preventing the spread of Zika virus to pregnant women, who are the most vulnerable because of the risk of birth defects.
“The administration believes that swift action by Congress is needed to help limit harmful spread of this virus in Puerto Rico and to stay ahead of this threat in the continental United States,” said one CDC official, who asked not to be identified because the summit has not been formally announced.