Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Mosquitoes In Florida Test Positive For Zika For First Time, Confirming Virus Is Active In Area
The New York Times: Tests Confirm Mosquitoes In Miami Beach Are Carrying Zika Virus
Florida announced on Thursday that, for the first time, mosquitoes in Miami Beach had tested positive for the Zika virus, a disappointing confirmation that the virus is still active in the area. The Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads Zika is famously difficult to fight, and experts often say that testing the bugs to find the virus is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The three samples that tested positive all came from a 1.5-square-mile area in Miami Beach where locally acquired cases of Zika had been confirmed. (Tavernise, 9/1)
Los Angeles Times: Florida Finds Zika In Trapped Mosquitoes, Confirming The Virus Is Being Spread By The Insects
Authorities in Florida have found the Zika virus in mosquitoes in Miami Beach, confirming what they had suspected: The virus that can cause devastating birth defects is being spread by the insects. The three mosquitoes that tested positive for Zika were trapped in a 1.5-square-mile area that had already been identified as a source of infection, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said Thursday. (Zavis, 9/1)
Health News Florida: Zika-Positive Mosquitoes Found In Miami Beach
“The message here remains the same: We need to drain and cover,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez at a press conference about the findings. He reiterated that pregnant women should cover up and people should use protection to keep from spreading the virus sexually. (Mack, 9/1)
ABC News: Zika Virus Found In Mosquitoes For The First Time In Continental US
While this is the first time mosquitoes have tested positive for Zika, health authorities had already confirmed through epidemiological investigations that the virus was spreading via insects. The outbreak in Florida is the first outbreak of locally transmitted Zika virus in the continental U.S. (Mohney, 9/1)
NBC News: Zika Mosquitoes May Have Bred In Bromeliads, Florida Officials Say
Florida health officials said Thursday they found the Zika virus in mosquitoes trapped in the Miami Beach area, and blamed popular tropical plants known as bromeliads. Florida also announced two more cases of locally acquired Zika, presumably spread by mosquitoes there.That makes for 49 home-grown cases in Florida. (Fox, 9/1)
Bloomberg: Florida’s Lonely Fight Against Zika
Despite the prospect of a potentially devastating viral outbreak, gridlock has hobbled the federal response and left the burden of fighting Zika almost entirely on the back of state and local governments. In February the White House asked Congress for $1.9 billion to fund the development of a vaccine and fight mosquitoes. House and Senate Republicans crafted a $1.1 billion plan that also limited funding for Planned Parenthood and eased pesticide regulations. Senate Democrats balked. Then Congress went on recess for August, right when Miami had to deal with the specter of a Zika epidemic. (Chen and Smith, 9/1)
Bloomberg: Zika Virus Fears Spur Diagnostics Race As Women Seek Testing
Local outbreaks of Zika virus have sent demand for tests jumping in Florida and sparked interest in new diagnostics for the disease that threatens the health of newborns. At least 47 people in the state have been infected with Zika via mosquitoes, most of them in two areas of Miami where the virus is known to be spreading. Health officials have warned pregnant women to avoid those neighborhoods and seek testing if there’s a possibility of infection because the virus can cause brain damage in fetuses. (Darie, 9/1)
The Wall Street Journal: Takeda Gets Financial Help From U.S. In Developing Zika Vaccine
The U.S. government has pledged $19.8 million to help Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. pay for initial development of a Zika vaccine under a contract that could go up to $312 million. Takeda said the Japanese government, with which it is working on fighting pandemic influenza, could join the Zika virus project. Several companies, including Sanofi SA, are trying to develop a vaccine to help fight the virus, normally transmitted by mosquitoes, that has been tied to severe birth defects, including brain malformations. (Armental, 9/1)
The Boston Globe: Takeda To Develop Zika Vaccine In Cambridge
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is joining the campaign to develop a Zika vaccine with nearly $20 million in US funding for a Cambridge-based research program. The company, which last year said it will move its global vaccines business to Cambridge from Deerfield, Ill., disclosed Thursday that it was tapped by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to produce a vaccine to treat the virus in the United States and abroad. The initial contract of $19.8 million will fund the program into early-stage clinical trials. If it moves through late-stage trials, funding could grow up to $312 million. (Weisman, 9/2)
CNN: Zika Spraying Kills Millions Of Honeybees
The pictures are heartbreaking: Millions of honeybees lie dead after being sprayed with an insecticide targeting Zika-carrying mosquitoes. ... (Juanita) Stanley, co-owner of Flowertown Bee Farm and Supply in Summerville, South Carolina, said she lost 46 beehives -- more than 3 million bees -- in mere minutes after the spraying began Sunday morning. (LaMotte, 9/1)
The Washington Post: Zika Outbreaks Most Likely To Hit Eight Countries In Asia, Africa
The worsening Zika outbreak in Singapore and its potential to spread elsewhere in Asia and beyond is rapidly raising alarms among health experts. Singapore has at least 151 confirmed cases, authorities reported Thursday, with two involving pregnant women. Neighboring Malaysia also confirmed that a 58-year-old woman who recently visited her Zika-infected daughter in Singapore had been diagnosed with the disease. The developments came as a new study released Thursday identified eight countries in Asia and Africa that researchers say are at the greatest risk of Zika virus transmission. (Sun, 9/1)
