Zika “Scarier” Than Initially Thought, CDC Official Says.

“Public health officials said Monday they’ve learned a lot more about Zika since the White House asked Congress for $1.9 billion to combat the mosquito-borne virus and are increasingly concerned about its potential impact on the” US. Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the CDC, said, “Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought.” Dr. Schuchat “said the virus has been linked to a broader array of birth defects throughout a longer period of pregnancy, including premature birth and blindness in addition to the smaller brain size caused by microcephaly.” The mosquito that carries the Zika virus is present in 30 states, more than twice what officials originally thought, Dr. Schuchat said, though no locally acquired cases have been reported yet,” which “indicates that mosquitoes in the states do not yet have the virus.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/04/11/scarier-than-we-initially-thought-cdc-sounds-warning-zika-virus/82894878/