CDC official says Zika is 'scarier than we initially thought'

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 11 April 2016

The mosquito-borne Zika virus is more dangerous than initially expected, USA Today reports experts warned Monday.

"Most of what we've learned is not reassuring," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Everything we look at with this virus seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought."

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The CDC also announced Monday a $3.9 million emergency fund to help treat Zika in Puerto Rico, where the number of cases is doubling each week.

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Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.