Five From California, All Who Traveled Abroad, Infected With Zika
Concerns in the states rise after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded its travel advisory over the virus, but other officials say it is unlikely the U.S. will be hit with an outbreak. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama is calling for accelerated research efforts to find a vaccine.
The Los Angeles Daily News:
Health Warnings About Zika Virus Increase, Five Californians Infected
Concern about Zika virus arriving to the United States from abroad rose Tuesday after federal health officials posted additional travel alerts about two more countries affected by the mosquito-borne disease. (Abram, 1/26)
The Orange County Register:
CDC Expands Travel Advisory As Reports Of Zika Virus Increase
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday added two new destinations – the Dominican Republic and the Virgin Islands – to its travel advisories related to the mosquito-borne disease Zika. Reports of Zika are rising rapidly across the Americas. (Chandler, 1/26)
NPR:
Big Zika Virus Outbreak Unlikely In The U.S., Officials Say
The outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil and other countries has raised concern that the pathogen could start spreading widely in the United States, as well. But federal health officials and other infectious disease specialists say so far that seems unlikely. "Based on what we know right now, we don't think that widespread transmission in the United States is likely," says Dr. Beth Bell, director of National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Stein, 1/26)
The Associated Press:
Research Begins Into Possibility Of A Vaccine For Zika Virus
The U.S. government is beginning research into a possible vaccine for the mosquito-borne Zika virus that is suspected of causing an unusual birth defect as it spreads in Latin America. Don’t expect protection anytime soon — vaccine development typically takes years. (Neergaard, 1/26)
STAT:
Obama Briefed On Zika Virus, Urges Faster Work To Develop Tests And Vaccines
President Obama received a briefing from top government health officials on the Zika virus Tuesday, and urged faster research to develop better diagnostic tests and vaccines to stop the spread of the virus, the White House announced. (Nather, 1/26)