Tag Archives: Zika virus

The Associated Press reports: Most people are trying to avoid Florida mosquitoes, blamed for dozens of cases of the Zika virus. But Republican Rep. David Jolly decided to make a point Wednesday by bringing a container of them to the House floor. “The politics of Zika are garbage right now,” the Florida lawmaker said in a short, angry speech condemning …

The Hill reports: Several House Republicans in Florida say they’re willing to concede defeat in their party’s months-long battle over Planned Parenthood if that’s what it takes to pass a $1.1 billion funding package for the Zika virus. With Zika spreading rapidly in south Florida, even some of the most conservative members of Congress say GOP leaders should strike a …

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports: Two billboards designed to bring awareness to the spread of the Zika virus have been removed in Broward County after their depiction of an unrolled condom stirred controversy. A spokesperson with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation said pressure from the Fort Lauderdale Mayor’s office and the Tourism Board caused their signage company to pull the ad from …

Politico reports: Sen. Marco Rubio said Saturday that he doesn’t believe a pregnant woman infected with the Zika virus should have the right to an abortion — even if she had reason to believe the child would be born with severe microcephaly. “I understand a lot of people disagree with my view – but I believe that all human life …

Fusion reports: Our sci-fi future just got a whole lot closer to becoming a reality, after the Food and Drug Administration gave the okay to a field trial that would release genetically modified Zika-killing mosquitoes in the Florida Keys. On Friday, the FDA released a final environmental assessment of the trial, finding that it “will not have significant impacts on …

CNN reports: Thirty-three members of the US military have contracted the Zika virus overseas in countries where the virus has been identified, according to the Pentagon. One of the military service members is a pregnant female. Under Pentagon health policies, female service members are permitted to move out of countries where Zika exists. An additional six people who have military …

The Telegraph reports: Approximately 50,000 British holidaymakers currently in Florida should avoid unprotected sex for the rest of the summer holidays because of the risk from Zika virus, according to government advice. An outbreak of four mosquito-transmitted cases yesterday prompted Public Health England (PHE) to advise pregnant women to consider postponing non-essential travel to the southern US state. But for …

The Washington Post reports: Florida officials on Friday announced the first local spread of the Zika virus through infected mosquitoes in the continental United States. Gov. Rick Scott made the announcement during a press conference Friday after a health department investigation into four suspected cases in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. He said transmission was confined to a small neighborhood just …

STAT News reports: Men can contract Zika through unprotected sex with other men who are infected with the virus, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, a finding that adds to experts’ understanding of how Zika can be transmitted. The CDC said a case of sexual transmission that occurred in Dallas in January — and was reported in …

The United States Olympics Committee has suggested that athletes and support staff should consider skipping the 2016 Rio Games if they fear contracting the Zika virus. Reuters reports: The USOC’s briefing to sport federations is the latest sign that Olympics officials are taking the Zika threat to the games in Rio de Janeiro seriously, and acknowledging that at least some …