Case Of Zika Virus Emerges In Minnesota As Physicians Call For Bolder Response.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-27/u-s-to-halt-blood-donation-by-travelers-to-zika-affected-areas reported there are now ten cases of Zika virus in five states after a new case was reported in Minnesota. Medical editor Jon LaPook, MD, said there is concern because mosquitoes that could carry the virus are found in regions where sixty percent of Americans live. Dr. Daniel Lucey of the Georgetown University Medical Center told NBC Nightly News (1/27, story 6, 2:05, Holt), “Now we have a pandemic. ... We need global leadership for this evolving rapidly accelerating health problem.” Tom Costello reported that a “quarter of a million” Brazilian soldiers “are now on mosquito control missions” as the country prepares for Carnival and the Olympics. Costello added that President Obama is “pushing American researchers to develop a vaccine quickly, but that could be years away.” Officials Under Pressure To Stop Spread Of Zika Virus. Reuters (1/28, Steenhuysen, Nebehay) reports that the World Health Organization is under pressure to take action against the Zika virus outbreak spreading through Latin American and the Caribbean. WHO will hold a special session on Thursday on the Zika virus. The US Food and Drug Administration, and others, are working to quickly implement “donor deferral measures for travelers who have visited affected regions in order to protect the blood supply in the United States.”