Health Officials Revise Guidance Of Where Mosquitos That Could Carry Zika Are Found
The new map represents "the best knowledge of the current distribution of this mosquito based on collection records," according to a federal scientist quoted by NPR. In other Zika news, the U.N. revokes an invitation to a Canadian professor to join a study group, a look at how cutbacks in women's health programs could affect Zika prevention and advice on finding travelers' insurance that might allow you to cancel a trip based on Zika threats.
NPR:
Here's Really Where Zika Mosquitoes Are Likely In The U.S.
A few months ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a startling map that showed the parts of the U.S. that could harbor mosquitoes capable of carrying Zika. Many readers, including myself, thought, "Zika could come to my town! It could come to Connecticut! To Ohio and Indiana! Or to northern California! Oh goodness!" The map made it look like a vast swath of the country was at risk for Zika, including New England and the Upper Midwest. Well, not quite. (Doucleff, 6/13)
The Associated Press:
UN Asks Critic To Join Zika Group But Then Revokes Invite
One of the leading critics of the World Health Organization says he was recently invited to sit on the U.N. health agency's Zika emergency committee — only to have his invitation rescinded when he refused to sign a confidentiality clause. Last month, Canadian professor Amir Attaran and colleagues wrote an open letter to WHO, accusing it of shirking its responsibilities by not considering whether to recommend delaying or canceling the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. (6/14)
Kaiser Health News:
Gaps In Women’s Health Care May Derail Zika Prevention In Texas, Florida
Mosquitoes bearing Zika — a virus that can cause birth defects when contracted by pregnant women — are expected to reach the United States as soon as this summer, with Florida and Texas likely to be among the hardest-hit states. But in both, support for women’s health care, along with family planning resources, has been dramatically scaled back, in part because of funding restrictions placed on women’s clinics that, in addition to other services, provide abortions. Also, both states declined to expand Medicaid. Those decisions, many advocates say, are putting a squeeze on the health care system’s ability to educate women about Zika’s risks and minimize its impact. (Luthra, 6/14)
Kaiser Health News:
If Zika Concerns Might Derail A Trip, Consider ‘Cancel-For-Any-Reason’ Plans
A typical travel insurance policy won’t reimburse you for trip expenses if you cancel because you’re afraid of traveling to a country where there have been reports of an outbreak of a disease such as the Zika virus. But if you purchased a “cancel-for-any-reason” policy, your claim is more likely to be approved, said Megan Freedman, executive director of the U.S. Travel Insurance Association, a trade group. (Andrews, 6/14)
