Pursuits
Puerto Rico’s Zika Surge Will Hurt Island Tourism, Moody’s Says
- Epidemic likely to worsen an already shrinking economy
- Island has nearly 4,700 reported Zika cases, CDC says
The Zika Virus Explained in Two Minutes
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A surge of Zika cases in Puerto Rico may harm the island’s already declining economy and hurt its tourism industry, according to Moody’s Investors Service.
The number of Puerto Rico residents who acquired the infection locally has increased since April, with 4,666 reported cases, as of July 27, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Zika’s spread on the island is a credit negative, Emily Raimes, an analyst at Moody’s in New York, wrote in a report Thursday. Puerto Rico’s economy has shrunk in the past decade and is forecast to decline by 2 percent in fiscal 2017.