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With scientists still trying to better understand the virus — and without any treatments available — hospitals have been forced to adapt to a changing Zika outbreak, particularly in states such as Florida, Texas, and New York that are at risk for local transmission or have seen large numbers of travel-related cases. Hospitals say they have built up their diagnostic tools, started performing more regular ultrasounds for patients, and are keeping closer-than-usual watch on amniotic fluid levels and fetal heart rates. Social workers and physical, speech, and occupational therapists are preparing to work with babies born with Zika-associated defects, should they require their care. (Joseph, 8/17)

The fight against the Zika virus has a new weapon: the genetically engineered mosquito. It's recently been approved by federal regulators and may soon be available in parts of the U.S. that are confronting the virus, like Puerto Rico and Miami. The Florida Keys do not have a Zika problem at the moment, but on Aug. 5 the Food and Drug Administration approved trial releases of these mosquitoes in the Keys. But because of the vocal opposition of people there, the local mosquito control board hasn't yet approved the trials, instead putting it on the November ballot as a nonbinding referendum. (Allen, 8/17)

Texas state health officials say it’s inevitable that homegrown mosquitoes will start spreading Zika to Texans — and there’s only so much they can do about it. A patchwork of city and county health departments in Texas, some very poor and understaffed, are responsible for tackling public health problems like Zika under Texas law. Most do not have extra money to try to kill the mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus, let alone prepare for it by stocking blood tests that would show pregnant women if they definitively are infected with the virus. (Cook, 8/17)

Iowa has recorded its first West Nile virus infections of the summer, state health experts reported Wednesday. The mosquito-borne virus isn’t snagging as many headlines as its newer cousin, the Zika virus. But West Nile is an annual threat in much of the United States, including Iowa. (Leys, 8/17)