MOSCOW (Sputnik) — As many as 25,646 cases of the Zika virus have been registered in the country, with 3,177 pregnant women affected, Santos said Saturday.
"We asked [US] President [Barack] Obama and we had an immediate, very affirmative response," Santos said, as quoted by El Colombiano daily.
"Obama said ‘we are ready,’" Santos added.
The Zika virus primarily affects monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. A causal relationship between the Zika virus and neurological disorders including microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with small heads, is strongly suspected, although not yet confirmed.
The Zika outbreak started in Brazil in spring 2015. It has since spread across Latin America, allegedly causing several deaths.
On Friday, the US Department of State announced the creation of a team and working group focused on developing a robust response to the Zika virus outbreak.
