Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Homegrown Zika Cases Reported In New Miami-Area Neighborhood
Florida announced a new Zika transmission zone on Thursday, saying that the virus had popped up in a mile-square patch of northern Miami and that five people had been infected. (Tavernise, 10/13)
At least five people have contracted Zika virus from mosquitoes in Miami鈥檚 Little River neighborhood, Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced on Thursday, identifying a one-square-mile zone where the disease is spreading 鈥 between Northwest 79th and 63rd Streets from Northwest 10th Avenue to North Miami Avenue. Scott鈥檚 office identified the area after the Florida Department of Health confirmed that two women and three men had contracted Zika there. Three of the people live in the one-square-mile area, and two either work there or recently visited, according to the governor鈥檚 announcement. (Chang and Smiley, 10/13)
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) is accusing federal health officials of holding up money to fight Zika as the state combats its latest outbreak of the virus.鈥 It has been two weeks since federal funding to fight Zika was approved by Congress and signed by President Obama. However, Florida has not yet received a dime,鈥 Scott said in a statement Thursday. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 need bureaucratic timelines 鈥斅爓e need funding now,鈥 Scott said. Scott said his state needs the money even faster than expected after the Florida health department confirmed another outbreak of the Zika virus in Miami-Dade County on Thursday. (Ferris, 10/13)