Altagracia Guzman, the Caribbean country's health minister, said yesterday lab testing of samples sent to the United States had confirmed Zika in 10 out of 27 suspected cases.
"In light of this finding, it is imperative to adopt strict measures across the nation to prevent and contain this illness," Guzman said.
Zika has been linked to a birth defect known as microcephaly, when babies are born with malformed and abnormally small heads. It is also associated with a higher incidence of miscarriages.