Pentagon Confirms 33 Zika Infections Among Active-Duty Service Members Since January
The number includes one pregnant woman. Meanwhile, New York's attorney general cracks down on Zika scams, chastising anyone who is exploiting people's fears "just to make a buck."
The New York Times:
33 U.S. Service Members Have Contracted Zika, Pentagon Says
More than 30 active-duty American service members — including a pregnant woman — have contracted the mosquito-borne Zika virus in countries where the disease has been identified, Pentagon officials said on Wednesday. Maj. Ben Sakrisson, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Defense Department has been tracking Zika in servicemen and women abroad since January, and that the number had reached 33 this month. (Cooper, 8/3)
The Washington Post:
Military Members Test Positive For Zika
At least 33 U.S. troops, including a pregnant woman, have tested positive for the Zika virus, U.S. military spokesmen said Wednesday. Ten of those troops are men who answer to the Southern Command, the Pentagon subsidiary with oversight of troops in Latin America and the Caribbean. Southcom spokesman Jose Ruiz said the 10 were infected in five locations — Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Martinique. They serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. (Rosenberg, 8/3)
Stat:
‘Absolutely Shameless’: 7 Marketers Of Anti-Zika Repellents Slapped With Cease-And-Desist Letters
As the Zika virus spreads, wristbands and patches being touted as protection against the disease have been flooding the market. Now, the New York attorney general’s office is cracking down on the companies it considers to be the worst offenders. The office has ordered seven marketers to stop deceptively advertising their insect repellent products, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Wednesday morning. None of the seven targeted products contain ingredients like DEET and picaridin recommended by federal health officials, Schneiderman’s office said. (Robbins, 8/3)
And media outlets report on the virus in the states —
Miami Herald:
As Zika Spreads In Miami, Pregnant Women Race To Get Tested
Since health officials warned pregnant women to avoid the Wynwood area because of ongoing Zika transmission — and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged those who had visited the district on or after June 15 to get tested for the virus — expectant mothers and women planning to conceive in South Florida are making a run on lab tests while others are freezing their eggs, delaying their pregnancies or, in the most extreme cases, planning to leave town to finish out their terms. (Cochrane and Chang, 8/3)
Health News Florida:
Scott Says Florida Remains 'Safe State' Amid Zika Battle
Florida political leaders say controlling the spread of the Zika virus is doable but will take everyone's help, as travel advisories have been posted about visiting the state. The assurances came just hours before the Florida Department of Health reported that it was investigating an additional case of a person being infected with Zika in Miami-Dade County. The report brought to 15 the number of people believed to have been infected by mosquito bites in the state, with health officials saying they think transmission of the disease is occurring in a small area north of downtown Miami. (Turner, 8/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
In Zika-Outbreak Area In Miami, Residents Take Various Precautions
In the city’s Wynwood neighborhood, the center of the current Zika outbreak, business owners opened their doors on Wednesday to another humid day in the spotlight, as local officials declared the area “open for business” and anxious pregnant women across the city worried about their risk. Jessica Ardente, 36 years old, walked her dog Wednesday morning in Margaret Pace Park, a sliver of green along the Intercoastal Waterway at the edge of the area where state and federal health officials believe mosquitoes have transmitted the virus. Ms. Ardente is in her first trimester of pregnancy and lives in Edgewood at the edge of the affected zone. She donned mosquito repellent, long pants and long-sleeved shirts to walk her dog, a routine she hasn’t changed, she said. (Evans, 8/3)
The New York Times:
Florida’s $82 Billion Tourism Industry Braces For Zika
After enduring the years of ups and downs that came with being a part of Wynwood’s transformation from a struggling warehouse district into Miami’s hot new neighborhood, the restaurateur Ivette Naranjo thought the worst was behind her. Her Cafeina Wynwood Lounge hosted large events for HBO, Absolut and Audi, where up to 600 hipsters could drink and dance to a DJ spinning vinyl in the garden. On weekends, an even mix of locals and tourists sipped cocktails with names like Hot Passion and critiqued the art in the adjacent gallery. Then came Zika. (Schwartz, 8/3)
The Washington Post:
CDC Director: Sporadic Zika Cases Possible For Months, Maybe Year, In Florida
On Aug. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged pregnant women to avoid visiting a South Florida neighborhood where mosquito-borne cases of the Zika virus have emerged. It was the first time officials have warned against travel to part of the continental United States because of the outbreak of an infectious disease. The travel advisory is for a one-mile-square area that includes Wynwood, one of Miami's trendiest neighborhoods, which has a diverse mix of high-end art galleries, blocks of intricate murals and warehouse graffiti, and aging bungalows. (Sun, 8/3)
The Texas Tribune:
To Fight Zika, Texas Medicaid Will Pay For Mosquito Repellent
With federal funding to fight Zika stuck in Congress, and amid news that mosquito-to-human transmission of the virus has reached the continental United States, Texas officials announced on Wednesday they would allow Medicaid to pay for mosquito repellent for women, in the hopes of preventing the disease. The decision comes two months after the Obama administration first told states they could allow Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for the poor and disabled, to pay for Zika prevention services, including mosquito repellent and family planning. (Walters, 8/3)
Houston Chronicle:
Mosquito Repellent Now Covered Under Texas Medicaid
Mosquito repellent will now be covered under Texas Medicaid for women between 10 and 45 years old or pregnant, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced Wednesday. The announcement comes in response to the spread of the Zika virus, which is transmitted most commonly through a mosquito bite. The virus has caused birth defects in unborn children whose mothers have been infected while pregnant, mostly in Central and South America. (Ketterer, 8/3)
Minnesota Public Radio:
MN Officials Hunt For Possible Zika-Carrying Mosquitoes
Public health officials have begun searching several Minnesota cities for the Asian tiger mosquito — one of the two primary mosquito species known to carry Zika virus. ... Epidemiologist Dave Neitzel says he doesn't expect to find the mosquitoes because Minnesota's winters should be harsh enough to kill them. (Benson, 8/4)