US Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said there was "a public health emergency of national significance" in Puerto Rico, with Zika posing a particular threat to pregnant women and their children.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. government on Friday declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico as a result of a Zika epidemic.

The public health emergency declaration means Puerto Rico's government can now apply for funding to hire and train unemployed workers to assist in vector control and outreach efforts, and request the temporary reassignment of local public health or agency personnel to assist in Zika response.

"This administration is committed to meeting the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico with the necessary urgency", Burwell said.

Zika can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by abnormally small head size and developmental problems in babies.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 1,962 Zika cases in the US have been reported as of August 10, the vast majority of which are travel-related. 28 of the cases weren't travelled-related and are considered to have been spread by a mosquito bite. It is meant to promote an immune response that would protect against the mosquito-borne virus that can cause devastating birth defects, according to a statement from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Because of the Zika virus outbreak, the state has been hit with more negative information that made tourists reconsider whether they should visit Florida or change their destination. The USC researchers, who published their study in the journalCell Stem Cell, found that two of the 10 proteins in the Zika virus appear to be the culprits.

But since last summer, when the hardest hit country Brazil first reported a Zika outbreak, scientists have discovered that the virus can also be sexually transmitted. The number of Zika cases there now total 10,690, with 1,035 of those being infected pregnant women.

The spread of the virus prompted some athletes and golfer Rory McIlroy to pull out of the Rio Olympics.

"Congressional Republicans should stop catering to the hard right and immediately cancel this seven week recess - the longest in 60 years - and pass clean emergency funding legislation to address the growing Zika crisis and to restore funding for these other critical health needs", he added. "Panic typically doesn't help the situation no matter what the threat is, but we just urge people to be on high alert and make sure they're doing their best to prevent mosquito bites, to make sure they're walking their property line and checking for standing water and places that mosquitoes can breed".