State Highlights: Fla. Tests ‘Infected’ Mosquitoes To Slow Zika; New Strategies For Frostbite Shine At Minn. Hospitals
February 9, 2018
Morning Briefing
Media outlets report on the news from Florida, Minnesota, Maryland, Massachusetts, Kansas, New Jersey and Vermont.
Where Education Campaigns Fail To Improve Vaccination Rates, Small Behavioral Nudges Found To Help
April 5, 2018
Morning Briefing
A new study finds that the most common reason people don’t get vaccines is perceived obstacles. So instead of focusing on persuading anti-vaccination activists, the study recommends solutions like automatically scheduled vaccination appointments and monetary incentives from employers. In other public health news: SARS, diabetes, gene-editing, macular degeneration, Zika, and running recovery.
Trump’s Vow To Squeeze ‘Sanctuary Cities’ Could Play Havoc With Health Programs
By Shefali Luthra
May 1, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Local health officials are bracing for the potential impact of a Trump administration policy that would stop federal funding to jurisdictions that don’t enforce federal immigration laws.
Researchers Unlock Mystery Of How Zika Spreads In Human Cells
By Rachel Bluth
October 20, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Zika virus infection changes both viral and human RNA, affecting the body’s immune response, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego.
‘It’s Heartbreaking’: As Zika Babies Age, Devastating Health Effects Become More Clear
December 15, 2017
Morning Briefing
Fifteen of the 19 children, who ranged from 19 months to 2 years of age, had not met the developmental milestones — like being able to sit up by themselves — that a healthy 6-month-old would meet.
Researchers Call Trump’s Proposed NIH Cuts ‘Shocking’
By Elaine Korry
March 17, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Among the institutions that stand to lose most are those in California, especially the University of California and Stanford University.
Women And The Zika Virus: Smart Questions And A Few Solid Answers
By Shefali Luthra
September 30, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Here’s a breakdown of what women should know, and what is still unclear, regarding how Zika is transmitted, who is at risk and how to take precautions against it.
Many Localities Find Past Ambivalence On Mosquitoes Hinders Zika Response
By Emily Kopp
October 10, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Efforts to control and track the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus have been hampered by lack of resources.
En riesgo programas de salud en “ciudades santuario”
By Shefali Luthra
May 1, 2017
KFF Health News Original
La dura posición del gobierno de Trump sobre inmigración podría estimular recortes en la financiación federal y complicar una amplia variedad de programas de salud en estas ciudades.
Congress Finally Approves Funding To Fight Zika — But What Does This Mean?
By Shefali Luthra
September 29, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Mosquito season may be ending in parts of the U.S., but public health officials say the additional resources will make a difference because the threat will not be measured in one cycle but in years.
Type Of Book You Read To Your Baby May Be Just As Important As Book Reading Experience Itself
January 2, 2018
Morning Briefing
Not all books are created equal when it comes to boosting babies’ brains. In other public health news: a secret psychiatry experiment; suicide at colleges; excessive screening; the hazards of rushing off to the gym in the new year; Zika; needle-phobia; and much more.
Got Zika? For Pregnant Women, Lab Constraints Mean It’s Often Hard To Know
By Shefali Luthra
October 7, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Testing people — especially pregnant women — who may have been exposed to the virus is an integral part of the response strategy, but it’s putting a strain on this part of the nation’s public health infrastructure. New congressional funding could change that.
Reporter’s Notebook: Pregnant And Caught In Zika Test Limbo
By Sammy Mack, WLRN
September 22, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Pregnant women in South Florida can get free Zika tests through the state’s health department. But delays in getting back the results are heightening worries and may affect medical options.
Genetic Sleuths Pinpoint Moment Zika Turned So Deadly
September 29, 2017
Morning Briefing
It used to be a relatively harmless pathogen.
In Battle Against Zika, Researchers Seek Foolproof Test For Infection
By John Pope
September 19, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Most people who have been infected don’t have symptoms, so they don’t know they have the virus.
Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Split A Straw-Poll Vote In The Florida Keys
By Rachel Bluth Emily Kopp
November 10, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A plan to test the effectiveness of so-called “Frankenflies” is being closely watched by nearby Miami-Dade County as a possible way to combat the spread of Zika.
CDC Deploys New Rapid Response Teams To Fight Zika
By Virginia Anderson
September 14, 2016
KFF Health News Original
Based on lessons learned in the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the federal agency has designated teams to help identify patients and health care workers who have been exposed to the virus.
Experts Say Stepped-Up Monitoring Is Crucial As Zika’s Threat Lasts Beyond A Baby’s Birth
By Shefali Luthra
September 6, 2016
KFF Health News Original
A Brazilian case report indicates the virus may cause brain impairment after a child is born, increasing the need for tracking the development of children who may have been exposed.
Quick, Low-Cost Dipstick Test For Dengue And Zika Could Help Diagnose And Track Outbreaks
September 28, 2017
Morning Briefing
“You can go from a sample to an answer within about 15 minutes,” says one of the authors of the test. In today’s other public health news: food safety violations, the link between exercise and willpower, autism and health issues of women refugees.
As Aerial Spraying Continues In Miami’s Zika Fight, Effectiveness Up In Air
By Emily Kopp
September 14, 2016
KFF Health News Original
As Miami-Dade doubles down on aerial spraying of the insecticide naled to combat the mosquitoes that spread Zika, experts question that approach.
