Health Officials Confirm Sexually Transmitted Zika Case In Texas
Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical company hopes to build off its work with dengue fever in the race to create a vaccine.
Los Angeles Times:
CDC Confirms A Case Of Zika Transmission Via Sex In Texas
Texas officials on Tuesday reported the first case of the Zika virus being sexually transmitted in the U.S. by an infected traveler returning from South America since the disease’s rapid spread there over the last year. It was the first case of transmission on U.S. soil, and the announcement came a day after the World Health Organization declared that the explosive growth of the primarily mosquito-borne Zika virus constitutes an international public health emergency. (Hennessy-Fiske, 2/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
Drug Industry Starts Race To Develop Zika Vaccine
Drug companies are beginning early-stage research to develop a new vaccine against the rapidly spreading Zika virus, joining the race to control an outbreak that the World Health Organization said constitutes a global public-health emergency. It might be years, however, before any vaccine reaches the market, meaning the new wave of research is unlikely to help curb the current outbreak. (Bisserbe and McKay, 2/2)