The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Florida Health Department have extended their investigation related to Zika transmission to a new area in Miami-Dade County. The Florida Health Department has identified two women and three men in the area with symptoms of Zika and currently works with CDC to …
Read More »Reports: Senate to Vote on Continuing Resolution to Avert Govt Shutdown
U.S. senators plan to meet Tuesday to vote on a bill proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) to extend government funding and head off a shutdown by the end of the week, Roll Call reported Monday. Niels Lesniewski writes Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland) said Democratic and Republican members will continue discussions with the goal to reach …
Read More »NIH-Led Team Identifies 3 Compounds That Work Against Zika Virus-Linked Brain Cell Death
National Institutes of Health researchers have partnered with Florida State University and Johns Hopkins University and discovered three compounds that work to hamper the ability of Zika virus to replicate and destroy brain cells. Scientists at NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences identified emricasan, niclosamide and a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor …
Read More »Military News: 41 Service Members Test Positive for Zika Virus
Defense Department records have shown 41 service members, including a pregnant woman, have been diagnosed with the Zika virus since DoD began to monitor infections this year, Military News reported Wednesday. Patricia Kime writes U.S. Air Force Maj. Benjamin Sakrisson confirmed that affected troops contracted the virus outside the continental U.S. and that …
Read More »Army Conducts Mosquito Surveillance to Monitor for Zika Virus
The U.S. Army has begun to monitor mosquitoes at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland to check for mosquito-borne diseases such as the Zika virus. The service branch said Monday APG houses seven test sites for health officials to collect mosquitoes once a week, classify females based on species and ship the insects to Public Health Command-Atlantic at Fort …
Read More »Walter Reed, Partners Conduct Zika Vaccine Tests on Monkeys, Eye Future Trials on Humans
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research doctors have begun a series of Zika vaccine tests on monkeys and aim to carry over their efforts to human trials within the year, the U.S. Army reported Wednesday. Gary Sheftick writes WRAIR researchers have completed a study that showed the effects of the ZPIV vaccine …
Read More »NIH-Funded Study to Monitor US Olympic Committee Members for Potential Zika Exposure
The National Institutes of Health will fund a study that will monitor potential Zika virus exposure of U.S. Olympic Committee athletes, coaches and personnel who will participate at the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Brazil. NIH said Tuesday the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will provide funds for research on how and where …
Read More »Joint Committee Starts to Tackle Military Construction, Veterans Programs, Zika Response Funding Bill
A joint committee of House and Senate appropriators met Tuesday to begin discussions on a bill that would fund the Defense Department‘s military infrastructure projects and the Department of Veterans Affairs‘ quality-of-life programs for former service members in fiscal year 2017. The bill would also provide financial aid to domestic and international …
Read More »Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd: Southcom Seeks Help to Disrupt Illicit Networks in Latin America & Caribbean
U.S. Southern Command leader and U.S. Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd has outlined the security challenges posed by illicit networks in Latin America and the Caribbean, DoD News reported Thursday. Cheryl Pellerin writes criminals and terrorists use illicit networks for smuggling drugs, wildlife, bulk cash, weapons, people, illegal logging and mining activities to raise money. The report said the U.S. …
Read More »NASA, NCAR Scientists Design Risk Map to Forecast Zika Virus Spread
A team of scientists from NASA, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and other institutions have developed a risk map that works to forecast the potential spread of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in the U.S. from South America. The National Institutes of Health also supported the team in efforts to design a tool that examines …
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