Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senators Hopeful Zika Funding Agreement Is In Sight
Democrats say top GOP lawmakers are proposing to partially fund President Barack Obama’s request for money to fight the Zika virus. The $1.1 billion measure circulating Wednesday comes in advance of an Appropriations panel meeting on Thursday and was being worked on with Democrats in hopes of winning their support. The measure has not been finalized and is part of continuing negotiations. The money would be used to try to slow the spread of the Zika virus and develop a vaccine against it. (Taylor, 4/20)
Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Health and Human Services appropriations subcommittee who has been involved in the discussions, said lawmakers were working to reach an agreement that would address Zika, which has been linked to serious birth defects. “Protecting women and families from the serious risks the Zika virus poses should not be a partisan issue, so I’m glad that Republicans are now working with us to put much-needed resources into this effort,” she said in a statement. “Negotiations are continuing and I’m very hopeful we’ll be able to reach a final agreement.” (Huetteman, 4/20)
Senate GOP leaders are in talks to advance a major funding package to fight the Zika virus, marking the end of a months-long battle between the GOP and the White House. (Ferris, 4/20)
It’s 7:30 a.m. and the hallway outside the neurosurgeon’s office at the Pedro I Municipal Hospital is filling with mothers and their babies. The women arrive with questions: Will their children ever learn to walk? Will they ever speak? The doctor, Alba Batista, wishes she had answers. She used to see two, maybe three cases of microcephaly a year. But since December, more than 40 newborns with the condition — an abnormally small skull, often with an underdeveloped brain — have shown up at Pedro I. (Zavis, 4/21)
Zika virus is causing birth defects rarely seen before, including collapsed brains and skulls, according to Dr. William Dobyns, a Seattle Children’s hospital expert in genetics and pediatric neurology. (Aleccia, 4/20)
