State Highlights: In Fla., A Detailed Plan To Combat Zika; Brain Surgery In The Twin Cities

Miami Herald: Zika Virus: Miami-Dade Details Plan For Zika To Florida Health Department 
It took a dozen boxes of documents and a six-page letter for Miami-Dade officials to respond Friday to a request from State Surgeon General Celeste Philip for more information on the county’s spending, surveillance data and future plans for combating the mosquito-borne spread of Zika in South Florida. According to a table of contents attached the letter, the cardboard boxes included comprehensive spending reports, dates and locations for ground and aerial spraying, mosquito trap counts, analysis and research on mosquito-control efforts, and the county’s plan for the current season. (Chang, 11/4)

The Star Tribune: Twin Cities Father To Undergo Cutting-Edge Brain Surgery At U 
Nearly 120,000 people worldwide have undergone deep brain stimulation to treat neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease when traditional medications failed to provide relief. While the procedure often works, U [University of Minnesota] scientists are exploring ways to fine-tune the placement of electrodes in the regions of the brain that cause muscle spasms, stiffness and other often-painful symptoms of neurological disorders. In addition, Minnesota neurologists are researching a potentially groundbreaking technique that would make the procedure less invasive and give patients more control of the implants after surgery. (Serres, 11/5)

Pioneer Press: Minnesota Reports Sexual Assault Treatment Data, Stresses Need For Hospital Care
The number of teenagers seeking treatment at a hospital after being sexually assaulted dropped between 2010 and 2014 in Minnesota, the state Health Department reported Friday. The overall number of hospital-treated sexual violence cases didn’t change much over the five years — from 1,442 in 2010 to 1,411 in 2014, according to data the Minnesota Department of Health released. But among 15- to 19-year-olds, the number decreased from 339 visits in 2010 to 276 in 2014. Health officials say they’re concerned that a far greater number go untreated. A 2005 Minnesota study found that only about one in five people who experience sexual assault seek medical care, the Health Department noted in a news release. (11/5)

Health News Florida: Leon School Board Gets Lead Update: 'Tallahassee Isn't Flint' Say Researchers 
Sixteen Leon County elementary schools were tested for lead. The contaminant was found in drinking fountains and cafeteria water supplies. But only two schools—Killearn Lakes and W.T. Moore, had levels above what the Federal Environmental Protection Agency deems actionable. The others were above what the American Academy of Pediatricians deems as safe. (Hatter, 11/4)

The Star Tribune: Hundreds Of Minn. Rape Victims Seek Hospital Care Each Year, Study Finds 
The number of Minnesotans seeking hospital care for sexual assaults has remained stubbornly high in recent years, despite more than a decade of public efforts to reduce sexual violence and make it easier for survivors to report incidents, according to a state analysis released Friday. (Serres, 11/4)

Health News Florida: FL Supremes Consider Whether Abortion Waiting Period Will Take Effect
The Florida Supreme Court is preparing to rule on whether to allow a new abortion restriction to take effect.  The measure requires women wait 24 hours after an initial consultation before receiving treatment. (Evans, 11/6)

San Jose Mercury News: Silicon Valley Biotech Exec's Battle With The Federal Government
Bill Facteau made millions of dollars by selling a company that sold devices to treat sinus infections. But after the government accused him of questionable marketing practices surrounding one device, the Atherton biotech executive landed in federal court. Now his cautionary story has turned into a closely watched legal appeal that has consumer advocates, industry leaders and legal analysts debating a question that could have major consequences for Silicon Valley’s biotech and pharmaceutical companies: Should the First Amendment protect a firm’s right to market and sell its products for uses that federal regulators have not approved? (Seipel, 11/4)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: East Alton Brass Mill Fights Hospital Germs 
A big, noisy, century-old brass mill in East Alton turns the likes of old bullet casings and bent Canadian quarters into copper alloys for American industry. It might also save hospital patients from infection and keep some St. Louis Blues players off the sick list. That unlikely marriage of smokestack industry and medicine takes advantage of a long-known fact: Bacteria can’t survive long on copper. That has Olin Brass trumpeting its CuVerro alloy to manufacturers serving hospitals, schools and gyms — places where the sick and healthy can touch the same things. (Gallagher, 11/6)