Zika Infections Late In A Pregnancy Don’t Lead To Deformities, Study Finds
A report co-authored by federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers examined infections in Columbia and found that pregnant women who were infected in the third trimester did not have babies born with brain abnormalities. The researchers also reported that women who did not show signs of Zika infection could still have babies with birth defects.
The Wall Street Journal:
Zika Risk To Babies Of Pregnant Women Infected Late Appears Less
Pregnant women who are infected with Zika in their third trimesters may not face a major risk that their babies will develop the type of abnormalities linked to the virus, according to a study published Wednesday. None of the babies born to 616 women in Colombia who were diagnosed with Zika during their third trimesters was born with microcephaly or brain abnormalities, according to the study, published by public-health scientists in Colombia and at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the New England Journal of Medicine. The majority—82%—of the babies were born at term at normal birth weight. (McKay, 6/15)
The Associated Press:
Zika Infections Late In Pregnancy Led To No Defects In Study
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine online Wednesday, seems to confirm that the greatest risk to infants comes early in pregnancy. Researchers tracked women infected in Colombia and also found troubling cases of severe birth defects in babies born to women who never realized they had contracted Zika. (Stobbe, 6/15)
The Washington Post:
Zika Can Cause Microcephaly Even If Moms Have No Symptoms, Report Says
Pregnant women who become infected with the Zika virus are at risk of having babies with the severe birth defect known as microcephaly, regardless of whether they have symptoms of the disease, according to a new report. The findings, part of the first comprehensive look at the Zika outbreak in Colombia, one of the countries hardest hit by the mosquito-borne virus, add to the growing body of evidence about the potentially devastating consequences of Zika. (Sun, 6/15)
At the same time, members of Congress are trying to hash out funding plans to fight any spread of Zika in the U.S. And Texas officials are asking for federal money to help prepare for Zika —
The Associated Press:
Republican Negotiators Promise Quick End To Zika Talks
Republicans in control of negotiations on long-delayed funding to combat the Zika virus are promising a quick agreement, as behind-the-scenes negotiations have focused on a potential deal in the range of a $1.1 billion measure passed by the Senate last month. A trickier issue involves whether to pair the Zika funds with cuts to other programs as called for by House Republicans to defray the measure's effect on the budget deficit. Democrats, whose votes may be needed to pass the final measure, are against the idea. (Taylor, 6/15)
San Antonio Press Express:
Medical Leaders At San Antonio Symposium Say The Zika Virus Could Be Transmitted In Texas As Early As This Summer
Tropical medicine experts say the Zika virus could be transmitted within Texas as early as this summer, if the virus follows the traditional course of similar diseases. ... Also Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott urged the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to approve the Texas Department of State Health Services’ funding requests totaling just more than $11 million for Zika preparedness and response efforts in Texas. (Carlson, 6/15)
Texas Tribune:
Gov. Greg Abbott Asks Feds For Zika Funding, Guidance
As Texas braces for a possible Zika virus outbreak via local mosquito populations, Gov. Greg Abbott asked federal health officials Wednesday to review the state’s plan to combat the disease, which has been linked to serious birth defects. In a letter sent to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden on Wednesday, Abbott, an outspoken critic and litigator of the Obama administration, touted Texas’ cooperation with the federal government in the face of a potential public health crisis. (Walters, 6/15)
NPR:
Summer Camps Say They're Not Sweating Over Zika Risk
Summer camp and mosquitoes go together like chicken and waffles, particularly in the South. But Zika virus may raise the stakes in the age-old struggle of campers versus pests. The mosquito species capable of carrying Zika can be found in much of the southern United States. Anxious parents need not panic; no Zika-infected mosquitoes have been identified in the country. Nonetheless, Tisha Bolger, board president of the American Camp Association, says camp administrators are particularly interested in what they can do to prevent mosquito bites this summer. (Jacewicz, 6/16)
