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The federal government on Friday moved to clear the way for the release of genetically engineered mosquitoes into the wild for the first time in the United States, tentatively approving a field test that might help slow the spread of the Zika virus. The genetically engineered insects, which contain a gene that will kill their offspring, have already shown effectiveness in small tests in Brazil and other countries in suppressing the populations of the mosquitoes that transmit both Zika and dengue fever. (Pollack, 3/11)

U.S. health regulators said a genetically engineered mosquito being used in the fight against Zika will not have a significant impact on the environment, possibly paving the way for the technique to be used in the country. The self-limiting strain of the Aedes aegypti mosquito was developed by Oxitec, the U.K.-subsidiary of U.S. synthetic biology company Intrexon Corp. The male mosquitoes are modified so their offspring will die before reaching adulthood and being able to reproduce. (3/12)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says pregnant women can safely travel to Zika-affected countries if they stay at elevations higher than 6,562 feet, where they’ll find few mosquitoes that could spread the virus. But the agency’s revised travel advisory, released Friday, continues to recommend that trips to lower-elevation areas be avoided because the greater presence of mosquitos increases the risk of infection. (Sun, 3/11)

Puerto Rico’s Health Department is reporting 201 confirmed Zika cases amid warnings the U.S. territory could face an epidemic of the mosquito-borne virus. Officials said Friday that 21 of those cases involve pregnant women. This concerns health authorities because Zika may be linked to microcephaly, which causes babies to have unusually small heads and brain damage. The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention visited the island on Tuesday as federal officials stepped up efforts to help prevent the spread of Zika in Puerto Rico. (3/11)