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A cluster of Zika cases most likely transmitted by local mosquitoes has been identified in Miami Beach, and federal and state officials are considering whether to advise pregnant women to avoid traveling to the city and possibly even all of Miami-Dade County, a health official said Thursday. Such a decision would signal that the potential threat of local Zika transmission had catapulted to a new level. It would no longer be confined to one zone of active local transmission in Miami — the only one identified in the continental United States up to now. (Alvarez and Belluck, 8/18)

If confirmed in Miami Beach, CDC officials likely would issue an updated travel advisory that includes the newly affected area. It was unclear Thursday where the boundaries of such a warning might be. In a statement, Gov. Rick Scott insisted the outbreak remained confined to Wynwood. "We still believe local transmissions are only occurring in an area that is less than one square mile," he said."As we continue to aggressively assess and test people for Zika, we will make every resource available to fight this virus," Scott said. (Dennis, 8/18)

Health officials are likely now to expand that zone, where they have warned the public that mosquito-borne transmission of Zika is occurring, but it wasn’t clear how large the new zone will be, these people said. Deliberations are under way over whether to designate small pockets or one large one, these people said. The news is just what many in Florida have feared—that the outbreak would spread, hurting the state’s tourist-dependent economy, said Susan MacManus, a University of South Florida political-science professor. “The business community is very alarmed and of course, so are health officials,” she said. (McKay, Campos-Flores and Levitz, 8/18)

Health officials now believe the Zika virus is being transmitted by mosquitoes in parts of Miami Beach, a development that is expected to lead to a travel warning for one of the country’s best known travel destinations. Roughly a handful of cases have cropped up that are believed to be linked to that part of the city, a health official who spoke on condition of anonymity told STAT. Late Thursday afternoon health authorities were working to finalize the area that would be covered by a new travel advisory from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Branswell, 8/18)

State health officials said Wednesday they have found three more Zika cases believed to have been caused by mosquito bites in Miami-Dade County, bringing to 33 the number of locally transmitted cases in South Florida. One of the cases was in a relatively small area of Miami where health officials think active transmissions are occurring, according to information posted on the Florida Department of Health website. (8/18)

When Republicans left town this summer, they abandoned a billion-dollar Zika rescue package that had become mired in partisan infighting. But now some rank-and-file Florida Republicans — who represent scared constituents clamoring for Washington to do something — are pressuring their leaders to get a deal done, no matter what it takes. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) asked Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to convene an emergency session of Congress to pass a Zika bill immediately. Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) is worrying that Congress’ lack of action could cripple him in an already tough re-election battle. And a number of Florida Republicans, including Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.), want their party to fully fund President Barack Obama's larger $1.9 billion Zika request. (Bade, 8/19)

Development of a vaccine to combat the Zika virus is on track for at least the next three or four months, despite the bitter congressional standoff over funding a response. But the scientist in charge of the effort said Wednesday the money is likely to dry up in December. Funding for vaccine research at the National Institutes of Health was part of a much broader $1.9 billion request from the Obama administration that's been the subject of much wrangling this year on Capitol Hill. (Lesniewski, 8/18)

The more researchers learn about the Zika virus, the worse it seems. A growing body of research has established that the virus can cause severe birth defects — most notably microcephaly, a condition characterized by an abnormally small head and often incomplete brain development. The virus also has been linked to cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults, a rare autoimmune disorder that can result in paralysis and even death. Now, in a study in mice, researchers have found evidence that suggests adult brain cells critical to learning and memory also might be susceptible to the Zika virus. (Dennis, 8/18)

The authors of the study cautioned that it is difficult to know the extent to which the findings, in mice whose immune systems were weakened, apply to humans, and said they plan further research. But the findings clearly suggest that Zika may not be as benign an infection for adults—or even children—as currently thought, particularly for those with weakened immune systems, they said. Damage to these cells could potentially lead long-term to depression or other cognitive problems, they said. (McKay, 8/18)

The Zika virus, previously thought only to be a big threat to developing babies, might also affect adult brains, researchers reported Thursday. Tests in mice suggest the virus can get to and damage immature brain cells in adults — something that indicates Zika infection may not be as harmless for grown-ups as doctors have believed. It will take much more study to know if human beings infected by Zika are at risk, but the report, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, adds another disturbing twist to the Zika saga. (Fox, 8/18)

Wanted: Volunteers willing to be infected with the Zika virus for science. It may sound bizarre, but researchers are planning just such a study — this winter, when mosquitoes aren't biting — to help speed development of much-needed Zika vaccines. The quest for a vaccine began less than a year ago as Brazil's massive outbreak revealed that Zika, once dismissed as a nuisance virus, can harm a fetus' brain if a woman is infected during pregnancy. (Neergaard, 8/19)

It’s banned in Europe.Puerto Ricans took to the streets to keep it off their island. But a controversial pesticide is being aerial-sprayed over a Miami-Dade Zika hot zone in a race to kill the virus-carrying aedes aegypti mosquito. And its use is raising concerns about possible health risks posed by long-term exposure to the chemical. (Dimattei, 8/18)

Thirty people have been diagnosed with a rare paralyzing condition caused by Zika virus infection in Puerto Rico, the territory's health department said Thursday. And Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Thomas Frieden says he expects even more cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome in Puerto Rico because the virus is infecting so much of the population. "We think there will be as many as 200 additional cases, given the overall number of infections there," Frieden told NBC News. (Fox and Angulo, 8/18)

When Texas officials announced earlier this month they would allow Medicaid to pay for mosquito repellent for low-income pregnant women — a move meant to stop the spread of the Zika virus — health care advocates greeted the news with tempered enthusiasm. They saw it as a tacit endorsement by Republican state leaders of the usefulness of the federal-state insurance program for the poor and disabled in the face of a public health emergency, but they wished the state had gone further. (Walters, 8/19)