Houston Health Officials’ Message: Zika Virus Is Coming, We’d Better Get Ready
Several elements -- its location as a "gateway city," the fact that it is home to the mosquitoes that carry Zika and its economic struggles -- combine to create a fertile ground for the virus. In other news, during President Barack Obama's historic visit with Cuban President Raul Castro, the two leaders discussed the countries' collaboration over Zika research, among other health care related topics.
NPR:
Houston Prepares Now For Zika's Potential Arrival This Summer
On March 10, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee held a news conference at the Good Neighbor Healthcare Center in the part of Houston she represents. "What we're doing here today is having an intense briefing on the Zika virus with health professionals, working with the mayor and the city of Houston, the state and the country, to formulate the kind of partnership that can respond immediately," said Jackson Lee, a Democrat. Then she stepped aside, as the mayor, the assembled health officials and civic minded clergy all delivered a version of the same message: The Zika virus is coming to Houston, and we'd better get ready. (Palca, 3/21)
Morning Consult:
In Press Conference, Obama, Castro Touch On Health Care Collaboration
President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro held a joint press conference Havana Monday, marking the first visit by a U.S. president to Cuba in nearly 90 years. Their remarks focused on U.S.-Cuban relationships, though Obama praised Cuban doctors for their work in West Africa fighting Ebola and touted the how Cuban and American physicians worked together both there and in Haiti to fight Cholera during his remarks. He also pointed to how researchers in both countries may work together against the spreading of viruses and diseases. (McIntire, 3/21)