Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists See Promising Results By Repurposing Existing Drugs To Fight Zika
The Washington Post: Scientists Find Drugs For Cancer, Hepatitis C Can Kill Zika In Petri Dish. But Will They Work In Humans?
Scientists have discovered three existing drugs — used for cancer, hepatitis C and for parasitic infections — that they say appear promising against the Zika virus. The experiments were conducted only in lab-grown human cells in petri dishes, but the results were dramatic. Zika is so devastating that the damage it does has been thought to be irreversible. But the researchers said some of the compounds that the group tested not only allowed cells to live longer in the face of infection — but also in some cases fully recover from them. (Cha, 8/29)
The Wall Street Journal: Potential Zika Virus Therapies Identified By Researchers
Scientists have identified several potential therapies for the Zika virus from among 6,000 drugs already commercially available or undergoing clinical trials, according to a new study. The research, published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine, could help quicken discovery of medications for Zika and help prevent the neurological disorders associated with it, including microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads associated with improper brain development. (Hernandez, 8/29)
NBC News: Drugs Used To Fight Hepatitis, Worm Infections Might Stop Zika
A drug already on the market to treat worm infections and another being tested against liver diseases may also help treat Zika virus infections, researchers reported Monday. The findings are a rare bit of good news about Zika, which has caused epidemics across Latin America and the Caribbean, and smaller outbreaks in Florida, the Pacific and southeast Asia. (Fox, 8/29)
The New York Times: Zika Can Be Transmitted By Female Mosquito To Her Eggs, Study Says
The Zika virus can be transmitted by a female mosquito to her eggs, eventually infecting her adult daughters, researchers reported on Monday. But mother-daughter transmission happens so rarely among mosquitoes that it is probably not an important factor in the global Zika epidemic, according to the lead author of the study, published in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. (McNeil, 8/29)
Stat: Mosquitoes Carrying Zika Can Hand Down Virus To Offspring
Like a physical trait or a family heirloom, the Zika virus can be handed down by an infected female mosquito to some of her offspring, a new study shows. The study, by scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, confirms that so-called vertical transmission of the virus occurs in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the main species responsible for the spread of Zika. But vertical transmission doesn’t always happen. In fact, the research suggests it only occurs at a rate of 1 in every 300 mosquitoes. (Branswell, 8/29)
NBC News: Mosquitoes Can Infect Their Eggs With Zika
Here's another reason it will be hard to get rid of Zika: Mosquitoes can pass the virus to their offspring in their eggs. It's not a surprising finding. Mosquitoes infect their larvae with other viruses, too, including Zika's close relative the dengue virus. But it's another obstacle for people trying to get rid of Zika and the mosquitoes that spread it. (Fox, 8/29)
And in other Zika news —
The New York Times: In Reaction To Zika Outbreak, Echoes Of Polio
Now that the Zika virus has landed in the continental United States, and now that polio has re-emerged in Africa after two years without a case, it may be instructive to look back at New York’s early epidemic. It featured many of the problems that have bedeviled our response to the Zika epidemic: false rumors, ethnic prejudice and ineffective measures. (McNeil, 8/29)
Orlando Sentinel: Poll: Half Of Floridians Concerned About Getting Zika
About half of Floridians are concerned that they or their family members might get the Zika virus, and they're not happy with how state officials have been handling matters related to Zika, according to a new poll. ... The non-partisan group conducted a telephone poll of 625 registered Florida voters Aug. 22-24, with two questions: how concerned people were about getting the Zika virus and how they rated Florida state officials' performance in dealing with the Zika virus. (Miller, 8/29)
Tampa Bay Times: The Location Of Pinellas County's First Local Zika Case Is A Secret. Good Idea Or Bad?
Maps issued by the Florida Department of Health pinpoint right down to street level where mosquitoes are spreading the Zika virus in South Florida. But in Pinellas County, officials refuse to get any more specific than saying a single infection was found somewhere in the county's 280 square miles. Surgeon General Celeste Philip said it makes no sense to divulge where the infected resident lives or works until officials can confirm the virus is being spread in those locations. (O'Donnell, 8/29)
