MLB Scraps Puerto Rico Series Over Zika Virus Concerns

Major League Baseball has elected to move its 2016 series in Puerto Rico to Miami, according to the Associated Press. 

The series was scheduled to take place between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins on May 30-31, but growing concerns over the spread of the Zika virus prompted an official decision on Friday. The AP reported that the virus would likely cause the league to relocate the series on Tuesday.

The virus, which is transmitted through mosquitos and casues serious birth defects, was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization on February 1, 2016. It is currently affecting many neighboring countries, with local transmission being reported in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 472 cases of Americans contracting the virus while abroad. Forty-four of these cases were in pregnant women.