Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Both Parties Seize Upon Administration's Slow Pace In Redirecting Ebola Funding To Combat Zika
The Obama administration has so far distributed only about one-sixth of the unspent Ebola funding that it diverted to combat the Zika virus, according to administration officials. The White House in April diverted $589 million to the Zika virus amid congressional squabbling over approving new emergency funding. Since then, the administration has distributed $112 million, according to HHS figures shared with POLITICO. Another $100 million is expected to be distributed to states soon and 鈥渕uch鈥 of the remaining funding will be sent out this month and next, according to HHS. (Haberkorn and Everett, 7/6)
The prospect of Congress approving any new Zika virus funding before a seven-week recess is bleak, with both parties ready to blame the other for the stalemate. Public health experts have warned that the mosquitoes that carry the virus, which is known to cause birth defects, will increase in the hot summer months, worsening the virus' spread. (Sullivan, 7/6)
Though congress is still battling over Zika funding, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is handing out $25 million to states to fight the mosquito-borne illness. Florida will get $1.4 million of that money. The state鈥檚 share is among the country's largest because the threat of Zika is so high here. (Ochoa, 7/6)
As many as 50 pregnant women in Puerto Rico are becoming infected with Zika every day, top U.S. health officials said Wednesday as they urged the U.S. territory to strongly consider aerial spraying to prevent further spread of the mosquito-borne virus. The warning came as Puerto Rico debates whether to fumigate with the insecticide Naled, a proposal that has sparked protests in the U.S. territory over concerns about its impact on human health and wildlife. (7/6)
Five cases of Zika virus have been reported in Kansas, all of which originated outside the United States. State agencies and university laboratories are looking for ways to keep that number at a minimum. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has started a statewide surveillance program to monitor mosquitoes, which it does every year. (Wilson, 7/6)
