First Baby Born in New York City with Zika Microcephaly

From The New York Times:

"Health officials on Friday reported the first baby born in New York City with the Zika-related birth defect known as microcephaly, a condition marked by an abnormally small head and impaired brain development.

"The virus has caused more than 1,500 children to be born with birth defects around the world, mostly in Brazil. As it continues to spread, doctors are struggling to understand the virus and to prepare for its effects.

"The baby in New York is one of a growing number of children born in the United States with microcephaly, a condition that requires intensive care and can lead to a host of other problems including seizures, vision and hearing loss, and intellectual disability.

As has long been expected, we have likely witnessed the first mosquito-to-human transmission of the Zika virus within the continental U.S. Kaiser Health News has issued an urgent press release as physicians call on Congress to pass legislation to prevent the spread of the disease with the U.S." 

Kaiser Health News has issued the following press release regarding the first possible mosquito-to-human transmission of the Zika virus within the U.S.:

Florida Officials Investigating First Possible Non-Travel Related Zika Case In U.S.

Most experts believe the spread of the virus in the U.S. will be contained, though.

The Washington Post: Florida Is Checking Possible Local Case Of Zika
The Florida health department said late Tuesday that it is investigating what could be the first case of locally spread Zika virus in the continental United States. In a brief statement, the department said it is "actively conducting an epidemiological investigation" of a non-travel-related case in Miami-Dade County in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Sun, 7/19)

The New York Times: Florida Investigates Possible First Homegrown Case Of Zika Virus In U.S.
It would be the first time the Zika virus had been transmitted locally by mosquitoes in the United States. There are about 1,300 cases of Zika in the continental United States; nearly all were contracted by a mosquito bite abroad or through sex with someone who had become infected in another country. (Tavernise, 7/19)

The Wall Street Journal: Florida Health Officials Investigate Possible Case Of Locally Acquired Zika
Florida’s announcement comes one day after Utah health officials disclosed that they are trying to determine how a family member of a man who had been infected with Zika got the disease himself. The family member—identified as the man’s son, according to people familiar with the matter—didn’t travel to an area where Zika was circulating, nor have sexual contact with an infected person. He did care for his acutely ill father, however. (McKay, 7/19)

Health News Florida: State Investigating Possible Non-Travel Zika Case In Miami-Dade County
So far, Florida has reported more than more than 320 cases of the Zika virus. But all of the patients diagnosed have been infected while traveling abroad, in areas where Zika is more prevalent. (Ochoa, 7/19)

Stat: Zika Case In Florida Could Have Come From Local Mosquito, A First In Continental US
Most experts believe that any local spread of the virus will be contained, nothing like the wide spread that has been seen in Latin America and the Caribbean. Related viruses also spread by Aedes mosquitoes, including dengue and chikungunya, have had limited impact in the US, with just a few reported cases of local transmission of those viruses in Florida and South Texas. (Joseph, 7/19)

Orlando Sentinel: Zika Update: 3 New Cases In Orange County
Three new cases of travel-related Zika have been confirmed in Orange County, according to the Florida Department of Health's daily report on Tuesday. Since early February, when the state health department began reporting Zika infections, Orange County has had 33 travel-related cases. Osceola has had 15 cases, Seminole nine cases, and Lake County one case. (Miller, 7/19)

Meanwhile, at the Republican National Convention Democrats are blamed for the lack of Zika funding, and Congress leaving town without funding Zika battle may be the new normal when it comes to public health crises —

Stat: In Convention Speech, McConnell Blames Democrats For Zika Standoff
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell used his Republican convention speech Tuesday night as a platform to blame the Democrats for the Senate’s failure to approve emergency funds to fight the Zika virus. Never mind that the Republicans control the Senate, and that they failed — twice — to work out a funding bill with broad enough support to pass the chamber. In McConnell’s telling, it was the Democrats who prevented the $1.1 billion bill from passing before Congress left for a seven-week recess, so any public health consequences will be their responsibility. (Nather, 7/19)

Morning Consult: Congress Left Without Funding Public Health Crises. Is This Normal?
After three large, nasty funding fights, Congress left for a seven-week recess without giving a cent in emergency appropriations to address the Zika virus, the nation’s opioid epidemic, or the Flint water crisis. The jury is out on whether this is normal. Some observers say this is the new normal, a result of Republican infighting or, alternatively, Democrats’ self-perceived desire to score political points by picking a funding fight. Others say it’s always been this way. By definition, emergency funding isn’t that common. If there’s anything easy to agree on, it’s that public health dollars have taken up an abnormal amount of Congress’s time since the beginning of the calendar year. (Owens, 7/19)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.

Dr. Richard Pan Makes Appeal for Congressional Action as First Possible Mosquito to Human Transmission of Zika Virus is Detected in U.S.

State and local governments lack resources for increased mosquito control and rapid disease detection

SACRAMENTO- Dr. Richard Pan, a pediatrician and California State Senator made the following statement upon the announcement from health officials that they are investigating the first possible non-travel related case of Zika transmission in the United States:

“In February, the President proposed $1.8 billion in emergency funding to increase readiness and local prevention and to support Zika research. As a physician in the California legislature, I sent a letter in May to the California Congressional delegation urging funding and action to prevent a Zika crisis. Without funding to be able to reliably screen for, prevent, or treat Zika infections, we could see many prenatally Zika-infected infants with brain injuries born in the U.S. by the end of the year. Our hope that Congress would act in time to prevent this catastrophe is passing; now our country’s health and safety demands leadership by Congress to at least mitigate this public health crisis. Neglecting Zika will result in a generation of children with permanent neurological damage.”

Dr. Richard Pan is a parent, small business owner, former UC Davis educator and pediatrician who represents the Sacramento area in the California State Senate. Dr. Pan is the author of a new law in California to protect all school children from vaccine-preventable diseases. He continues to practice medicine at WellSpace Health Oak Park Community Clinic, pursuing his passion for working with families to build healthier communities.

Contact Shannan Martinez: <Shannan.Martinez@sen.ca.gov>,  (916) 651-4006.