Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Congressional Talks Over Zika Funding Stall Again
The Hill: Government Funding Talks Stall
Negotiations over a stopgap measure to fund the government until Dec. 9 have stalled amid squabbling among Republicans over controversial riders related to Zika funding and the Export-Import Bank. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) on Tuesday said internal GOP discord is holding up work on the funding stopgap, the only must-pass legislation on the agenda before Congress can recess for the November elections. (Bolton and Ferris, 9/13)
Morning Consult: Planned Parenthood Impasse Holding Up CR, Zika, Democrats Say
Senate Democrats say they haven’t received offers from Republicans about a deal for a continuing resolution to fund the government into the upcoming fiscal year and provide funding for the Zika virus. Even so, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid says he remains “cautiously optimistic” about moving forward with a bill soon. ... A deal appeared to be within grasp last Friday, Reid said, but Republicans could not reach an agreement over how to settle on a provision regarding Planned Parenthood. That provision, which has been holding up Zika funding, would effectively bar funding from going to Planned Parenthood affiliates in Puerto Rico. (McIntire, 9/13)
The Associated Press: Florida Gov. Scott Presses For Zika Money, Blasts Democrats
Florida GOP Gov. Rick Scott came to Washington on Tuesday to press for long-overdue money to fight the Zika virus, making his case for the money with top congressional Republicans like House Speaker Paul Ryan — while blasting away at the Obama administration and Democrats like three-term Florida Sen. Bill Nelson. ... Scott made his trip as lawmakers struggle to reach a bipartisan deal to fund the government's months-long battle against Zika, which is a major hang-up for a temporary spending bill that's the top item on Capitol Hill's slim pre-election agenda. (Taylor, 9/13)
Meanwhile, news outlets report on recent scientific and epidemiological developments related to this mosquito-borne illness -
Kaiser Health News: CDC Deploys New Rapid Response Teams To Fight Zika
It was a call that public health officials were dreading, but for which they had prepared. An elderly man in Salt Lake City died after contracting the Zika virus, the first fatality from the disease in the continental United States. His son, who had been a caregiver, also had become sick, but health officials did not know how. Dr. Shannon Novosad was on a plane to Utah the next day, one of 10 detectives looking for answers about this case to help other professionals deal with this rapidly growing health problem. (9/14)
The Associated Press: Investigation: Unique Utah Zika Case Remains Medical Mystery
A case of the Zika virus in Utah is now the only one in the continental U.S. that's still puzzling researchers on exactly how it spread, health officials said Tuesday. The man caught the illness after caring for his infected father, who had an extremely high level of the virus in his blood when he died in June, according to a report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One possibility is that he transmitted the virus to his son through a bodily fluid in a way that hasn't been recognized with Zika yet, officials said. (Whitehurst, 9/13)
The Washington Post: Zika Virus May Spread Through Bodily Fluids, Study Finds
Until now, scientists have said that Zika is spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito. It can also be spread through sex as well as blood transfusions, and a pregnant woman can pass the virus to her fetus. But information released Tuesday by federal and state health officials suggest that contact with bodily fluids, such as tears, discharge from infected eyes, saliva, vomit, urine or stool, could have been how a Utah man became infected after caring for his elderly father. The father died in June after contracting Zika from travel abroad. The father's blood had a level of infectious virus 100,000 times as high as the average level reported in people infected with Zika, according to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Sun, 9/13)
Health News Florida: Zika Could Affect Florida’s Breast Milk Bank In The Future
The Mothers’ Milk Bank of Florida said its supply of donated breast milk is safe because Zika is a heat sensitive virus. That means the virus would be destroyed during the pasteurization process all of its donated milk goes through. One thing Kandis Natoli is concerned about is the nonprofit’s future supply. Natoli is executive director of the state’s only official milk bank. (Chavez, 9/13)
