WHO Says Women In Zika-Infested Areas Should Consider Delaying Pregnancies
The advice to women in 46 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean stopped short of recommending that women don't get pregnant. U.S. officials have not made a similar suggestion, but they are continuing to put pressure on Congress to fund prevention and research efforts to fight Zika.
The New York Times:
Delay Pregnancy In Areas With Zika, W.H.O. Suggests
People living in areas where the Zika virus is circulating should consider delaying pregnancy to avoid having babies with birth defects, the World Health Organization has concluded. The advice affects millions of couples in 46 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean where Zika transmission is occurring or expected. ... At the moment, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands and American Samoa are the only parts of the United States with local transmission of the virus. But clusters of cases are expected to appear in Florida and along the Gulf Coast this summer. (McNeil, 6/9)
The Associated Press:
WHO Says Delaying Pregnancy Option For Women In Zika Areas
In response to the WHO's new guidelines, the CDC said health care providers should discuss Zika's risks and how to prevent infection, and provide information about contraception. "As part of their pregnancy planning and counseling with their health care providers, some women and their partners residing in areas with active Zika virus transmission might decide to delay pregnancy," the agency said in a statement. (Neergaard, 6/10)
The Hill:
New Zika Warning From Health Leaders: Consider Delaying Pregnancy
The WHO quietly released the guidelines Tuesday, though they received little attention until the agency issued an update on Thursday. It’s the first time the WHO has updated its Zika health recommendations since February. It’s a controversial move that stands in contrast with the strong insistence by U.S. health officials not to weigh in on the issue. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said as recently as May 11 that the federal government did not plan to issue specific guidance on what he said was an “intensely personal” decision. (Ferris 6/9)
Politico:
Obama Ratchets Up Zika Readiness Plan
The White House intensified its coordination with the predominantly Republican governors who lead the states most threatened by Zika on Thursday afternoon, sharing the administration’s freshly completed action plan with the executives in a conference call on Thursday afternoon. Governors, especially those from Gulf Coast states, have been watching the debate over emergency supplemental funding with increasing alarm. As Congress moves toward reconciling a $1.1 billion Senate measure and a $622.1 million House version that taps unused Ebola funds, flooding in Texas and a tropical storm in Florida have opened up what’s likely to be a soggy summer. That means lots of ideal breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquitos who carry the Zika virus. (Wheaton, 6/9)
The Hill:
Rubio: Give Obama $1.9 Billion To Fight Zika Virus
Sen. Marco Rubio is pushing lawmakers to meet President Obama's request for $1.9 billion to fight the Zika virus as they prepare to merge competing proposals. (Carney 6/9)
RollCall:
Rubio Still Pushing Obama's Full Anti-Zika Funding
Sen. Marco Rubio is an outlier among Republicans when it comes to funding to fight the Zika virus. And in a new letter Thursday evening, the Florida Republican continued what appears to be an uphill battle to get the full level of assistance pushed by the Obama administration. ... Rubio's letter asked the 33 members of a House-Senate conference committee, which will attempt to negotiate a final bill, to consider going above and beyond the dollar amount suggested by either the House or Senate. (Lesniewski, 6/9)
Morning Consult:
Blunt Hopes Idea Of Swift End To Zika Debate Will Bring House GOP On Board
The top Senate Republican health care appropriator, who is expected to play a key role in Zika conference negotiations, hopes the carrot of finishing talks on how to fund the fight to combat the virus will bring House Republicans on board with the Senate’s bill. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said Thursday he thought it would be possible to convince House Republicans to agree to the Senate’s $1.1 billion legislation, in part because it would settle the question of how to fund the fight against Zika, a topic of discussion on Capitol Hill for the past four months. And the Senate bill comes with the added bonus of funding that fight until September 2017. (McIntire, 6/9)
The Associated Press:
CDC Director: Funding Delay Hurts Fight Against Zika
Epidemics can spread in days and weeks, and the sooner that Congress acts on Zika funding the better, a top U.S health official said Thursday. ... "I know that there are people of good will in both houses of Congress, in both parties, who understand it's an emergency, who want to make it happen," Frieden said. "Congress did the right thing with Ebola, and I'm hopeful they'll do the right thing in Zika. The sooner they do it, the better it's going to be." (Foody, 6/9)
And in the effort to study Zika, one researcher was hurt —
Reuters:
U.S. Researcher Contracts Zika During Experiment: Media
A United States laboratory researcher was back at work after contracting the Zika virus by pricking herself with a needle during an experiment last month, broadcaster ABC News said on Thursday. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of diseases such as dengue and chikungunya, and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of those infected have no symptoms. (O'Brien, 6/10)