In The News
1. White House, Democratic Senators Urge Emergency Zika Funding Approval; Other USG Agencies Take Steps To Assist In Virus Response
CQ News: Senate Democrats Launch a New Push for Emergency Zika Funding
"Democratic senators along with independent Sen. Bernard Sanders urged appropriations leaders to fully fund President Barack Obama's $1.9 billion request to combat the Zika virus, rejecting suggestions that funds dedicated to fighting Ebola could be repurposed, according to a letter sent Friday. The effort, led by Connecticut Democrat Christopher S. Murphy, occurs after Republicans in both chambers have rejected a number of requests for emergency supplemental appropriations, Zika or otherwise..." (Mejdrich, 3/4).
Government Executive: OPM Responds to Zika Virus by Streamlining Agency Hiring
"With the Zika viris continuing to spread from Central and Latin America, the Office of Personnel Management on Friday announced it is allowing streamlined hiring of specialists at the Health and Human Services and State departments, as well as at the U.S. Agency for International Development..." (Clark, 3/4).
The Hill: White House: GOP can't 'fall asleep at switch' on Zika
"The White House warned Friday that GOP leaders should not be 'asleep at the switch' on the Zika virus, pressuring them to approve the administration's emergency funding request to fight the disease..." (Ferris, 3/4).
The Hill: White House to hold summit on Zika virus
"The White House will hold a day-long summit on the Zika virus next month, summoning top researchers and government officials to help prepare the nation for the disease to begin spreading in the U.S. this spring..." (Ferris, 3/4).
The Hill: Dems urge Senate to back Obama Zika request
"...Twenty-four senators sent a letter Friday saying that Congress should support the administration's $1.9 billion request without dipping into the government funds set aside to tackle Ebola..." (Carney, 3/4).
Washington Times: CDC chief to examine debt-ridden Puerto Rico's response to Zika
"The chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will head to Puerto Rico in coming days to get a firsthand look at the U.S. territory's response to the Zika virus, a mosquito-borne disease linked to serious birth defects..." (Howell, 3/4).
2. Recently Published Studies Add To Evidence Of Link Between Zika, Microcephaly, Guillain-Barré Syndrome
News outlets discuss the findings of several studies examining the possible association between Zika and neurological defects and syndromes.
The Atlantic: Toward an Understanding of Zika's Neurological Dangers
"...A new study published Friday in Cell Stem Cell shows how Zika affects neural stem cells, which appear to be particularly vulnerable to the virus. This may be the mechanism by which Zika could cause microcephaly ... A study published in The Lancet on Monday offered the first real evidence that Zika can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome -- an autoimmune disease in which the immune system targets a person's nervous system..." (Beck, 3/4).
New York Times: Two Studies Strengthen Links Between the Zika Virus and Serious Birth Defects
"The Zika virus damages many fetuses carried by infected and symptomatic mothers, regardless of when in pregnancy the infection occurs, according to a small but frightening study released on Friday by Brazilian and American researchers. In a separate report published on Friday, other scientists suggested a mechanism for the damage, showing in laboratory experiments that the virus targets and destroys fetal cells that eventually form the brain's cortex..." (McNeil/Saint Louis, 3/4).
Reuters: New range of serious fetal abnormalities linked to Zika: study
"...The list of 'grave outcomes' found in the study of pregnant women in Rio de Janeiro, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Friday, included fetal death, calcification of the brain, placental insufficiency with low to no amniotic fluid, fetal growth restriction, and central nervous system damage, including potential blindness..." (Berkrot, 3/4).
Reuters: Evidence mounts linking Zika virus to birth defects
"...The WHO's Emergency Committee is due to meet on Tuesday to review 'evolving information' and its recommendations on travel, trade, and mosquito control in what is thought to be high season for transmission of the virus in the southern hemisphere..." (Nebehay/Rampton, 3/4).
Wall Street Journal: Evidence Grows Linking Zika Virus to Birth Defect, Paralysis
"...Health officials say they are operating on the assumption that Zika is linked to these complications, while continuing research to determine the nature of the links and whether there are other factors involved..." (McKay, 3/4).
Washington Post: Zika likely behind more pregnancy problems, birth defects than anyone realized, researchers say
"...The researchers noted that the problems associated with Zika have similarities to those caused by other congenital viruses in the past, such as rubella, which affected hundreds of thousands of infants in the United States in the late 1950s and 1960s..." (Dennis, 3/4).
3. Biotech, Drug Companies Research New Ways To Prevent, Treat Mosquito-Borne Diseases Like Zika
New York Times: A Biotech Evangelist Seeks a Zika Dividend
"...Until recently, [Randal J.] Kirk, 62, was a relatively unknown, self-made billionaire, buying up or investing in companies in the biotech world. So when Intrexon acquired the British company Oxitec last summer, it attracted little attention as he extended his reach into genetically modified insects. But that move has thrust Mr. Kirk into the forefront of a scramble to control the Zika virus, suspected of causing babies to be born with tiny heads and damaged brains..." (Pollack, 3/5).
Wall Street Journal: Drugmakers Scramble to Find Zika Vaccine
"...About 15 companies are working on Zika vaccines, most in the initial stages, according to the World Health Organization. Among the more advanced are some in development by the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Bharat Biotech International Pvt. Ltd. in India, said Marie-Paule Kieny, the WHO's assistant director-general for health systems and innovation. She predicted it would take at least 18 months for large-scale trials to get under way..." (McKay/Loftus, 3/6).
4. WHO’s Chan Calls For New Funding Mechanism To Help Cover R&D Of Vaccines, Treatments For Epidemic Diseases
Financial Times: WHO chief wants help for drug industry to fight global pandemics
"Pharmaceuticals companies cannot be expected to keep picking up the bill for tackling global pandemics, the head of the World Health Organization has warned, urging the creation of a new funding mechanism for emergency drugs and vaccines. Margaret Chan, WHO director general, said the pharma industry had spent almost $1bn developing Ebola vaccines in the past two years without any return on investment..." (Ward, 3/7).
5. PolitiFact Examines Claims Of U.S. Global HIV/AIDS Spending Helping Improve Security, Stability
PolitiFact: Do U.S. global AIDS dollars build stability, less violence? Hard to prove
"...PEPFAR got some bipartisan love from two former Senate majority leaders, Sens. Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Bill Frist, R-Tenn. In an op-ed in The Hill titled 'Big-hearted, self-serving and right,' Daschle and Frist argued that global health aid is in the national interest. ... Daschle said that U.S. global AIDS spending helped reduce 'political instability and violence' by '40 percent' in recipient nations. No one questions that the program did much to ease the burden of disease and helped many sufferers. But there are several reasons the argument that it led to political stability is difficult to make..." (Greenberg, 3/4).
6. On Eve Of International Women’s Day, Celebrities Urge World Leaders To Focus On Improving Development, Health Indicators For Girls, Women
Thomson Reuters Foundation: Celebrities urge leaders to put girls at heart of anti-poverty drive
"Chat show queen Oprah Winfrey, actress Meryl Streep, and singer Elton John called on Monday for world leaders to put girls at the heart of anti-poverty efforts as a new index revealed Niger was the toughest country to be a girl. In an open letter, published on the eve of International Women's Day, a host of prominent figures urged leaders to improve girls' and women's access to education, justice, and technology, and help them fight HIV and malnutrition..." (Batha, 3/7).
7. AP Investigation Shows American Company Mismanaged Some Aspects Of Ebola Response In Sierra Leone
Associated Press: AP Investigation: American company bungled Ebola response
"An American company that bills itself as a pioneer in tracking emerging epidemics made a series of costly mistakes during the 2014 Ebola outbreak that swept across West Africa -- with employees feuding with fellow responders, contributing to misdiagnosed Ebola cases and repeatedly misreading the trajectory of the virus, an Associated Press investigation has found..." (Satter/Cheng, 3/7).
8. World Bank, Social Scientists Investigating ‘Nudge’ Theory To Encourage Healthy Behaviors
The Guardian: How the World Bank is 'nudging' attitudes to health and hygiene
"...Breaking long-term habits, such as spending the bulk of your income on rice, is extremely difficult -- especially, according to recent research, for those living in extreme poverty. This is where nudge theory comes in. It is about using insights from behavioral science to identify reasons why people make bad choices, such as smoking or failing to pay taxes on time, and then testing small changes in the way choices are presented to 'nudge' them into making better decisions..." (Rutter, 3/4).
9. Microsoft Research Genomics Group Scientist Examining Machine Learning Theory As HIV Vaccine Strategy
Washington Post: Microsoft Research scientist David Heckerman on how we could attack HIV like spam
"...[A]ccording to a machine learning expert, HIV's mutation-happy defense mechanism also could point to its eventual downfall. David Heckerman, distinguished scientist and senior director of the Genomics Group at Microsoft Research, is combining his expertise in computer science with his background as a medical doctor to apply machine learning to the creation of an AIDS vaccine..." (Kim, 3/4).
10. NPR Features TED Talk On Outbreak Preparedness By Bill Gates
NPR TED Radio Hour: How Can We Prevent The Next Global Health Epidemic?
The show features a TED talk by Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, from March 2015, in which he discusses disease outbreak preparedness (3/4).