Los Angeles Times: Two Babies In California Born With Microcephaly From Zika, Officials Say
Two babies in California were born with microcephaly after their mothers were infected with Zika virus, state health officials said Thursday. The mothers had traveled to countries with outbreaks of the illness before becoming infected. Officials would not release any more information about the women or the babies. “This is a sobering reminder for Californians that Zika can cause serious harm to a developing fetus,” said Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health. (Karlamangla, 8/4)

KQED's State of Health: 2 California Babies Born With Zika-Related Defects
Two babies have been born with Zika-related birth defects in California to mothers who were infected in other countries, health officials said Thursday. The newborns survived. One of the mothers returned to her home country with her baby while the other remains in the state, according to the California Department of Public Health. (8/4)

San Francisco Chronicle: 2 Cases Of Zika-Related Birth Defects Reported In California
California public health officials reported Thursday the state’s first two cases of microcephaly in babies born to women who had contracted the Zika virus during pregnancy.One of the mothers has returned to her home country since giving birth, state officials said. They declined to say when either infant was born, or in what county in California. (Allday, 8/4)

Fresno Bee: Two Babies Born In California With Zika-Related Microcephaly 
Two babies have been born with Zika-related microcephaly to mothers in California who had spent time in countries that are infested with the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus, state Department of Public Health officials said Thursday.To protect privacy, the state did not release the locations of the mothers and babies affected by the virus. Infants born with birth defects as a result of maternal Zika infection do not pose a public health risk to others. (8/4)

KPCC: 2 Infants Born In Calif. With Zika-Related Birth Defects
Two infants have been born in California with Zika-related microcephaly, the state Department of Public Health reported Thursday. In both cases, the mothers contracted the virus while pregnant, after spending time in a country where Zika is spreading. Department of Public Health Director Dr. Karen Smith emphasized that infants born with birth defects as a result of maternal Zika infection don't pose a risk to public health. (Plevin, 8/4)

LA Daily News: Two California Babies Born With Zika-Related Birth Defects Are First In State, Officials Say
Two babies in California are the first in the state to be born with Zika-related microcephaly, a birth defect that scientists recently linked to the mosquito-borne virus, state health officials announced Thursday.The two women who gave birth to the infants were infected by the Zika virus during pregnancy after spending time in a country where the virus is endemic, said Dr. Karen Smith, state director for the California Department of Public Health. One woman has returned to her homeland, Smith said. (Abram, 8/4)

And in other Zika news —

Politico: Obama Blasts Congress Over Zika Funding
President Barack Obama on Thursday blasted Congress for skipping town for August recess without approving emergency funding for Zika response amid a local outbreak in a Miami neighborhood. The president said the news of 15 locally acquired cases of Zika in South Florida was both “predicted and predictable” and blamed members of Congress for not approving the administration’s request of $1.9 billion to fight the mosquito-borne virus. (Ehley, 8/4)

Los Angeles Times: Three Vaccines Prevent Zika Infection In Monkeys; Vaccine Trial In Humans Gets Underway
The vaccines assessed by researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Harvard Medical School and elsewhere use three different methods to generate an immune response in patients. The first of them used a purified and inactivated version of the virus, which was too disabled to cause an infection but still caused the monkeys’ immune systems to make antibodies capable of fighting Zika. When deliberately exposed to the virus, none of the eight monkeys that received two doses of the vaccine showed any sign of infection. However, the eight monkeys that got the placebo became sick for about a week. (Kaplan, 8/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Blood Banks Step Up Efforts Against Zika Contamination
As concerns rise about the spread of Zika in the U.S., regulators and blood banks are moving to protect the safety of the blood supply. To guard against accidental transmission of the mosquito-borne virus through blood transfusions, the Food and Drug Administration on July 27 told banks in Florida’s Miami-Dade and Broward counties—where officials are investigating the first cases in the continental U.S. of local transmission of the virus—to stop collecting blood until they can screen each donation for Zika. (Beck, 8/4)

The Orange County Register: West Nile Virus In O.C. Mosquito Samples Nearly Doubles In One Week
Just one day after the county reported the season’s first human case of West Nile virus, the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District announced that the number of adult mosquitoes testing positive for the virus has nearly doubled over the last seven days. The Orange County Health Care Agency issued an alert Wednesday about an Anaheim woman in her 60s who was the first person this season to test positive for the virus. She has been hospitalized in serious condition. As of Thursday, the Vector Control District has collected 113 mosquito samples that tested positive for the virus, a jump from 60 on July 28, said spokesman Jared Dever. (Bharath, 8/5)

The Mercury News: San Mateo County Officials 'Concerned' About West Nile Risk After More Bugs Found Carrying Virus
The county said it is "very concerned" about the possible threat of humans contracting West Nile virus after finding mosquitoes and dead birds carrying the virus several times in the same area over the past month. ...The district has been collecting and testing mosquitoes since finding seven dead crows infected with the virus in Atherton and Redwood City between July 6 and July 20. The birds were discovered in West Atherton and in the Eagle Hill-Mount Carmel area of Redwood City. (Kelly, 8/5)

The Orange County Register: Lost Memories Return As Art Pieces For People With Alzheimer's, Dementia
The artwork on the walls of the Muzeo’s Carnegie Gallery appears simple: a watercolor of a sailboat gliding along the ocean; a barn with an American flag; a vase with red flowers.But the works of art are far from ordinary. The watercolors are done by artists with Alzheimer’s disease, and each represents a memory thought to be long forgotten. (Pimentel, 8/3)

Ventura County Star: What’s It Like To Have Dementia? Camarillo Event Sheds Some Light
The virtual dementia tour, held inside a recreational vehicle, was presented by Kristine and Randy Martin, of Agoura, the owners of Homewatch Caregivers of Thousand Oaks. The tour originally was created by a woman in Georgia who started a charity called Second Wind Dreams, which strives to change the perception of aging. (Doyle, 8/4)

Press Enterprise: Here's Why Lung-Cancer Patients Should Move To Areas With Better Air Quality - Press Enterprise
A research team at USC’s Keck School of Medicine found that California patients with early-stage lung cancer who live where the air is clean can survive twice as long as patients breathing polluted air.Those living with good air quality survive almost six years.So tailpipe emissions, smoke and other fine-particle pollution appears to continue harming people after the disease begins, said Sandrah Eckel, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at USC. (Danelski, 8/4)

In other news —

The Orange County Register: 'Gleason' Is A True Window Into Life With ALS
In 2011, three years after his retirement from the NFL, Steve [Gleason] was diagnosed with ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s disease. Six weeks later, he and his wife, Michel, discovered she was pregnant with their first child, and Steve began making videos, hoping to pass on his own life lessons, beliefs, personality and sense of self before the disease robbed him of his ability to do so. These videos are the source of inspiration for “Gleason,” directed by Clay Tweel, which blends the video diaries and documentary footage into a remarkable, heartrending portrait that showcases the triumph of the human spirit at its most raw. (Walsh, 8/5)

Capital Public Radio: California Agencies Warn Of Harmful Algal Blooms Across State
Water regulators and public health agencies are warning Californians to avoid contact with water containing blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria. The algal blooms are occurring all over the state - in San Luis Reservoir, Lake Shasta and Oroville, coastal and inland areas and even in the Sierra.  ... The blue-green algae itself is not dangerous but it can produce toxins that are, says Dr. Bob Poppenga a toxicologist at UC Davis Animal Health and Food Laboratory. (Quinton, 8/4)

Orange County Register: Water? Sports Drink? No, More Gym Patrons Are Eyeing IVs To Rehydrate, But Some Doctors Are Skeptical
Elective IV therapy, which debuted in 2012 as a remedy for hangovers in Las Vegas, takes a standard infusion bag of electrolytes and adds vitamins and antioxidants. Proponents say most people struggle to drink enough water and the treatment quickly resolves dehydration and other complaints while boosting overall health. Within mainstream medicine, however, the practice is viewed as unproven and potentially hazardous. (Perkes, 8/3)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Ex-CFO: Sonoma West Medical Center Benefactor Said ‘Cook The Books’ 
The former chief financial officer at Sonoma West Medical Center said a key hospital benefactor asked him to “falsely portray” the hospital’s finances to show positive net profit for the hospital, according to a whistleblower lawsuit filed this week.The lawsuit against Sonoma West Medical Center was filed Monday by Douglas Goldfarb, who served as chief financial officer from Nov. 30, 2015 to June 6, 2016. It is the latest legal complaint against the embattled hospital, one that echoes charges made in a lawsuit filed two months ago by the hospital’s former chief nursing officer, Cheri AnDra. (Espinoza, 8/4)

In other hospital news —

The Desert Sun: ER Visits Push Palm Springs Area Hospitals To Capacity
More people are seeking help in Coachella Valley emergency rooms every year, prompting the area’s two largest hospitals to plan for upcoming expansions to add more emergency beds for patients suffering from the full range of ailments emergency medical staff are charged with treating. Last year, the three valley emergency departments treated nearly 189,000 people, an increase of almost 30,000 from four years earlier. Hospital officials say some of the rise is expected as the valley’s population rises. But they also point to the Affordable Care Act as bringing more people into emergency rooms, the exact opposite of the 2010 federal law’s intended outcome. (Newkirk, 8/4)

Ventura County Star: Homeless Vets Welcomed For 3 Days, 2 Nights In Ventura
About 200 veterans are expected to receive free clothes, showers, meals, medical care and more at the 24th annual Ventura County Stand Down at the Army National Guard Armory in Ventura. The event began Friday and ends Sunday, with tents erected on site for veterans who want to stay throughout the weekend...The Ventura County Health Care Agency is among the 34 groups offering free services such as counseling on eligibility for Social Security benefits, assistance with rehabilitation and education programs, and referrals to drug and alcohol prevention programs. (Doyle, 8/4)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Santa Rosa Program Will Give Free Dental Care To Homeless Veterans 
Free dental care will be offered Saturday to homeless veterans at a reconditioned Santa Rosa motel that now houses 116 formerly homeless people, including vets.The one-day program at The Palms is co-sponsored by Michael Ottolini Amvets Post 40 and Rohnert Park Smiles Dentistry, which has rounded up a team of five volunteer dentists and about 20 support staff, including hygienists and dental assistants, for the clinic from 9 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m. (Kovner, 8/4)

The Sacramento Bee: Oak Park Free Clinic Pushes Back-To-School Vaccinations
More than two dozen parents were already lined up at an Oak Park health clinic by 9 a.m. Thursday, holding piles of immunization records with the hope of getting their children vaccinated before school begins next week.Many of them were prompted by the passage of Senate Bill 277, the state law mandating that all public and private school students be up to date on required vaccines against diseases such as meningitis, measles, mumps and rubella. Under the law, effective last month, parents who oppose vaccinations for religious or personal reasons can no longer submit an exemption form signed by a physician. (Caiola, 8/4)

In other health care news from across the state —

The Orange County Register: Did Costa Mesa Police Have Warrants For Marijuana Dispensary Raid?
A raid by Costa Mesa police at a medical marijuana dispensary that was caught on hidden cameras is being challenged by an attorney who alleges officers exceeded their legal authority during the operation. ...Medical marijuana collectives are prohibited in Costa Mesa and are not permitted by the city to operate. Costa Mesa Police Chief Rob Sharpnack declined to discuss details of the January incident, citing a continuing criminal investigation. (Schwebke, 8/4)

The Washington Post: High Prices Make Once-Neglected ‘Orphan’ Drugs A Booming Business
Three decades ago, Congress listened to the plight of Americans sick with diseases so rare many people had never heard of them. They were victims of a pharmaceutical market failure — “orphans” ignored by drug companies because, the thinking went, tiny groups of patients would lead to trifling sales. To make the business viable, Congress — pushed by patients and a popular television show that highlighted rare diseases — passed the Orphan Drug Act. The 1983 law offered drug companies attractive tax credits and monopolies to develop treatments for rare diseases, radically transforming the pipeline of orphan drugs. Now, rare diseases are no longer a neglected niche of the pharmaceutical business; they are a tantalizing moneymaking opportunity. (Johnson, 8/4)

In other national health care news —

The New York Times: Vexing Question On Patient Surveys: Did We Ease Your Pain?
The questionnaire arrives in the mail a few days after a patient’s discharge from the hospital. Did doctors treat you respectfully? Was your bathroom kept clean? Most of the queries seem mundane, but a backlash has been growing against one: Did staff members do everything they could for your pain? (Hoffman and Tavernise, 8/4)

Reuters: Judge For U.S. Lawsuits To Stop Insurance Mergers May Drop One Case
The judge assigned to rule whether the U.S. government can block the mega-mergers of health insurers Aetna Inc and Humana Inc, and Anthem Inc and Cigna Corp said on Thursday it would be difficult for him to decide both cases by the end of the year. ... Aetna and Humana urged Bates this week to hold trials and issue an opinion by the end of 2016. Bates said in a pre-trial hearing on Thursday that was unlikely to happen. "That's my determination: that I can't do both (by the end of the year)," he said. "Unless the schedule is put off, I'm sending one of the cases back." (Bartz, 8/4)

The New York Times: N.I.H. May Fund Human-Animal Stem Cell Research
The National Institutes of Health announced on Thursday that it was planning to lift its ban on funding some research that injects human stem cells into animal embryos. The N.I.H. announced its proposal in a blog post by Carrie Wolinetz, the associate director for science policy, and in the Federal Register. The purpose is to try to grow human tissues or organs in animals to better understand human diseases and develop therapies to treat them. (Kolata, 8/4)

The Sacramento Bee: Crazy Campaign Talk On Vaccines
There’s only one responsible stance for a U.S. president when it comes to vaccinating schoolchildren. Just say yes. Vaccines are among history’s great public health advances; immunization has saved generations from lethal and crippling childhood diseases. The vast majority of physicians share this view, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the World Health Organization, and most Americans consider immunization to be a societal obligation. That’s why California last year passed one of the nation’s toughest vaccine mandates. (8/2)

Orange County Register: Yes, I Have Diabetes And Yes, It's My Fault
So, let me just say it: Yes, I was stupid. Yes, I let myself get fat. Yes, I caused my Type 2 diabetes by poor eating and sitting around writing this column instead of running marathons. (Marla Jo Fisher, 8/2)

Los Angeles Times: Obamacare Covers Free Annual Physicals, Right? Wrong
“There’s nothing in the ACA that guarantees a free checkup,” said Bradley Herring, an associate professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins University. “It’s surprising how many people think it’s part of the law.” For consumers, this is perhaps one of the more confusing aspects of Obamacare, which does indeed cover certain free preventive services and so-called wellness visits but stops short of free annual physicals. (David Lazarus, 8/2)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Helping Make Opioid Epidemic A Thing Of The Past
The opioid epidemic facing our state is one of the worst health care crises California has ever seen. The numbers are staggering. California hospitals treat roughly one opioid overdose every 45 minutes. In 2014, addiction stole 4,521 of our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters from us. That’s 4,521 families shattered, forever. That’s more than any other state. (Sherrie Rubin and Gary Mendel, 8/3)

Mercury News: We Can Eradicate AIDS, TB And Malaria By 2030
The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is the largest contributing program that finances much of the on-the-ground humanitarian work in impacted communities to provide health care to victims. ...The next replenishment period is 2017-19, and commitments of monetary donations to the fund will be made by countries this fall. The United States has been one of the major contributors to the global fund, committing over $10.6 billion in the past year. As we approach the commitment deadline, our country needs to continue to do its part. (Apoorva Handigol and Tiffany Huang . 8/1)

The Sacramento Bee: Bill To Expand Market In Women’s Egg Donations Would Undermine Safeguards
Assembly Bill 2531 is working its way through the Legislature and would expand the market in women’s egg donations and would allow researchers to provide financial incentive payments to women providing eggs for research. The bill would overturn California safeguards for women who undergo a serious medical procedure for egg extraction by repealing a law I wrote in 2006. As a former state senator, I chaired the Senate Health Committee and authored laws that promoted biomedical, stem cell and cancer research while ensuring that women’s health was not compromised in the process. (Deborah Ortiz, 8/4)

Oakland Tribune: How To Stay Informed As Medicare Changes
In a proposed rule more than 900 pages long and set for publication in the Federal Register in early August, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services lays out a framework for paying health care providers to better coordinate certain medical procedures, such as joint replacements and cardiac care, with the aim of improving patient outcomes. They'll get a set fee, or a bundled payment, to care for patients. If they meet quality and performance measures, they'll earn higher federal reimbursement. (Kidd Stewart, 8/4)

Orange County Register: Slip And Falls? Personal Injury Attorney Says The System Works And Has The Mock Court To Prove It
Most of us shake our heads about what we sometimes call blood-sucking lawyers and remember simpler times when a “slip and fall” meant you dusted yourself off, sucked it up – and hobbled around for years. But with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting 17,000 annual slip and fall accidents alone, is the grumbling based on fact or fiction? West Seegmiller sits in his mock courtroom in Newport Beach – that’s right, a courtroom complete with judge’s bench, jury chairs, attorneys’ table – where he tests cases before mock juries. (David Whiting, 7/29)

Los Angeles Times: It's Unacceptable To Delay The Exide Cleanup When Public Health Is At Stake
Earlier this month, state officials revealed that they had found nearly 250 spots on 203 properties near the former Exide battery recycling plant where levels of brain-damaging lead were more than 10 times higher than California’s health standard and at concentrations that were high enough to be considered “hazardous waste” under the law. Another 2,200 spots had concentrations that would make it unsafe for children to play in the yard. That’s scary news. Yet the residents living in these dangerous conditions amid high levels of a potent neurotoxin will have to wait a year or more to have their property cleaned up. (7/30)

The Fresno Bee: Killing Off, Adding Hospital Beds – Why?
In California, billions are being spent on retrofitting or new construction to ensure that hospitals meet earthquake standards that take effect in 2030...Whether the end result will provide sufficient beds to handle California’s growth and aging baby boomers depends on where in the state you live. In a 2015 report, the California Health Care Foundation said the San Joaquin Valley and the Inland Empire may be hard-pressed to meet demand by 2040. (John G. Taylor, 7/29)

Orange County Register: Today’s Potent Pot Is Not Your Mom’s Maryjane
Today’s pot is typically four times stronger than it was just a couple decades ago. That’s timely to note in the current push to legalize the drug because much of the research showing marijuana has only modest health effects on adults is based on weaker strains that have been largely bred out of the marketplace. That means, as Californians prepare to vote this November on a recreational marijuana initiative, they’ll do so without conclusive answers from the medical community on how today’s pot may affect mental health and the debate over the gateway drug theory. (Brooke Edwards Staggs, 8/3)