Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Zika Travel Advisory Widens To Miami Beach After More Local Transmission Cases Confirmed
The New York Times: The Beat, And The Bug Spray, Go On In South Beach Despite Zika Threat
As local government and tourism officials emphasized that the safety of residents, workers and guests came first, it was hard to sidestep the obvious: Would tourists stay away from the island’s alluring beaches, hip hotels and just-about-anything-goes clubs? And if they did, what would it mean for the economy of Miami Beach — the superstar of the county’s $36 billion tourism industry? (Alvarez and Madigan, 8/20)
Miami Herald: Zika Virus: Governor Visits South Florida As Zika Spreads In Wynwood, Miami Beach
There are five new local cases of Zika in Miami Beach and a new 1.5-square-mile transmission zone from the beach to the Intracoastal Waterway, Florida Gov. Rick Scott confirmed Friday during a Miami visit to talk about the virus. The new cases involve three tourists and two local residents, Scott said during a news conference. The new zone runs from Eighth Street to 28th Street in Miami Beach, he said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with Florida health department, quickly issued a travel advisory after the news conference, telling pregnant women to avoid the Miami Beach Zika transmission area. (Chang, 8/19)
The Washington Post: Zika Virus Now Actively Spreading In Miami Beach, CDC Expands Travel Advisory
Florida Gov. Rick Scott confirmed Friday that the Zika virus is being spread locally by mosquitoes in Miami Beach, a development that marks an expansion of the outbreak in South Florida and immediately prompted a new travel advisory by federal officials. "We believe we have a new area where local transmissions are occurring in Miami Beach,” Scott said at a noon press conference. The suspect zone covers about 1.5 square miles between 8th and 28th streets, and between the beach and the intracoastal waterway -- a stretch that encompasses the city's central tourist area. (Dennis, 8/19)
NPR: New Zika Outbreak Hits Popular Tourist Destination Of Miami Beach
That decision to issue a warning about the entire city was prompted by the agency's concern that there may be other outbreaks in other parts of Miami-Dade that haven't been identified yet, CDC Director Thomas Frieden told reporters during a briefing. "What we are doing is stepping back and saying, 'There have now been multiple instances of local transmission,'" Frieden said. "We will always err on providing more information to the public." (Stein, 8/19)
USA Today: CDC: Pregnant Women Should Avoid Part Of Miami Beach Affected By Zika
The affected area of Miami Beach includes South Beach and stretches from the beach to the Intracoastal Waterway, from 8th Street to 28th Street. The neighborhood is several miles away and on the other side of Biscayne Bay from Wynwood, the first Miami neighborhood to experience a Zika outbreak.People who live in or who have traveled to this part of South Beach since July 14 should be "aware of active Zika virus transmission," the CDC said. (Szabo and Freeman, 8/19)
The New York Times: Pregnant Women Advised To Avoid Travel To Active Zika Zone In Miami Beach - The New York Times
A spokeswoman for the C.D.C. said that the agency is required to comply with a state’s wishes about how broadly to draw the boundaries of areas it advises people not to travel to. But agency officials clearly want to sound the alarm about possible Zika spread in a much larger area of South Florida. In announcing the new cases on Friday, Governor said the new area in Miami Beach is just under 1.5 square miles and is between Eighth and 28th Streets from the beach to the intracoastal on Miami Beach, an area that includes the heart of the South Beach neighborhood, one of South Florida’s biggest tourist attractions. (Alvarez and Belluck, 8/19)
