Have 30 seconds? Here’s what you need to know today about the Zika virus.

Thursday, Sept. 1

The big news right now

• With Zika now firmly in Singapore, which has confirmed 115 cases, health officials are worried about potential spread to the rest of Asia and Africa (STAT)

• An increase in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Latin America may mean the Zika virus is spreading (STAT)

• A third case of nontravel-related Zia infection was reported in Palm Beach County (Palm Beach Post)

• Millions of honeybees have been killed in South Carolina after officials failed to notify beekeepers about insecticide spraying (AP)

• The Miami travel advisory may be lifted by mid-September, local businesses have been told, if no new Zika cases are found (NPR)

Number of the day: 92 percent

The share of Americans who have heard or read about the Zika virus. (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Today’s must-reads

• Medical specialists needed to care for Zika babies are in short supply (USA Today)

• Doctors fear Zika is a sleeping giant in Haiti (NPR)

Wednesday, Aug. 31

The big news right now

• We’re nearly out of money to fight Zika, CDC says (NYT)

• As many as 6 percent of children born with Zika-related microcephaly could have hearing loss (STAT)

• Florida is investigating three more cases of locally transmitted Zika, including two that may have occurred outside of the foci of the virus’s outbreak in Miami-Dade County (Reuters)

Singapore update

As the number of confirmed Zika cases in Singapore rose to 82, the CDC issued an interim travel guidance for the country, which reported its first case of the virus only over the weekend. Additionally, the United Kingdom, Australia, Taiwan, and South Korea have issued travel advisories for Singapore.

HHS Secretary: Yes, put on the bug repellant, anyway

During a Twitter town hall on Tuesday, HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell responded to various questions posed by participants about Zika, including one about the need to use insect repellant even in areas where no local transmission of Zika has been reported. Her response: Yes. Noting she has a 6- and and 8-year-old, Burwell said “We actually do wear it, even though there’s not local transmission here in the District of Columbia.”

Today’s must-reads

• The countries where Zika is most prevalent and where the virus so far has been barely seen (CNN)

• Theranos halts its Zika test amid after FDA found safety problems in testing (WSJ)

• The CDC issued an interim travel guidance for the British Virgin Islands (CDC)

Tuesday, Aug. 30

The big news right now

• Three existing drugs — for cancer, hepatitis C, and parasitic infections — appear promising against the Zika virus (Washington Post)

• Female mosquitoes infected with Zika can pass it down to their offspring, which means the virus may be able to persist through the winter (STAT)

• Right on the heels of dosing its first US volunteers with an experimental Zika vaccine, Inovio Pharmaceuticals has launched a second clinical trial of the drug, this time in Puerto Rico (press release)

• Singapore confirmed 15 additional cases of local Zika, bringing the total number to 56 (CBC News)

Zika chat

Got questions about Zika? HHS is at the ready to answer them. The agency is holding a Twitter town hall today starting at 10 a.m. for experts to answer people’s questions about the virus. Questions can be submitted on Twitter using #AtoZika. (HHS)

Quiz time

Today’s must-reads

• Floridians are not happy with how state officials have handled the Zika outbreak, and roughly half expressed concern about getting infected with the virus (Orlando Sentinel)

• Echoes of New York City’s polio epidemic a century ago can be seen in the current Zika outbreak and the response to it (New York Times)

• A primer on Zika and pregnancy (Wall Street Journal)

Monday, Aug. 29

The big news right now

• Singapore has confirmed 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus (Reuters)

• Roche’s quick Zika test has become the 10^th FDA emergency-authorized Zika diagnostic (Reuters, FDA)

Virus mum

Walt Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Orlando are all offering free bug spray to guests, and have put up signs telling visitors to be aware of mosquito bite risk. But the signs and flyers all avoid referencing Zika by name. (Gizmodo)

Today’s must-reads

• Inaction on Zika is a public health crisis (Salon)

• The Zika undercount and the virus’s growing threat to public health (Wall Street Journal)

Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 27-28

The big news right now

• The FDA recommends all donated blood in the US be screened for the Zika virus (STAT)

• Health officials reported the first case in the US of an asymptomatic man transmitting Zika to a sexual partner (CBS News)

• A poll finds that most Floridians favor using genetically modified mosquitoes to fight Zika (STAT)

• The Dominican Republic reported its first three cases of babies born with Zika-related microcephaly (AP)

• Nicaragua confirmed its first case of a baby born with microcephaly stemming from Zika infection (Reuters)

• Singapore hit by first case of locally transmitted Zika (The Straits Times)

On people’s lips

“It’s an extraordinary misuse of very limited resources. … With Zika in Washington and Oregon, we know there is no possibility of local transmission. Those mosquitoes don’t live here.” — Dr. James AuBuchon, president and chief executive of Bloodworks Northwest, on the FDA’s recommendation that all US blood centers screen donated blood for the Zika virus. (Seattle Times)

Today’s must-reads

• With Florida’s hurricane season still in its infancy, controlling the Zika outbreak could prove even more vexing (USA Today)

• As worries about Zika rose during the summer, a woman, pregnant with her third child, wrote President Obama about her concerns with the Zika virus. And he responded. (White House)

• A guide to help pregnant women reduce their Zika risk (New York Times)

Friday, Aug. 26

The big news right now

• Hong Kong has reported its first case of travel-acquired Zika (South China Morning Post)

• Women in Puerto Rico now can get “a full range of contraceptive options” for free from their doctor (CDC Foundation)

• A new study indicates Zika can continue to reproduce in the vaginas of mice days after they were infected, suggesting the virus may replicate more easily in the female reproductive tract than at other infection sites (Cell)

• Labs in the US are expanding their testing capacities as the number of Zika cases increases (Wall Street Journal)

Number of the day: 584

The number of pregnant women in the US diagnosed with the Zika virus as of Aug. 18. There were 16 liveborn infants with Zika-related birth defects, and five pregnancy losses with birth defects as of the same date. (CDC)

On people’s lips

“More than one-third of Florida does not have an OB-GYN. … It also is among the worst states in the country for women’s health and women’s well-being. And it has staggering infection rates for sexually transmitted diseases. And now we have Zika.” — Lillian Tamayo, CEO of Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida (NPR)

Blood surveillance

You can see for yourself where blood banks report a positive Zika infection in donated blood, courtesy of a new mapping project by nonprofit AABB. But presently most blood banks aren’t testing for Zika, and are instead relying on screening questions to keep the disease out of the blood supply. (AABB)

Thursday, Aug. 25

The big news right now

• The Zika virus may linger in an infant’s blood even after birth, raising questions about how long it could continue damaging a baby’s brain (STAT)

• Florida health officials reported Palm Beach County’s second case of locally transmitted Zika (Miami Herald)

• China has added the US to a list of Zika-infected countries, which has American exporters worried that they might have to fumigate all containers destined for Chinese ports (Wall Street Journal)

• Johns Hopkins opened what it says is the world’s “first known multidisciplinary Zika virus center” that will treat patients infected with the virus (Johns Hopkins)

Number of the day: 200

The number of calls that Pinellas County Mosquito Control received on Tuesday after Florida officials confirmed the first case of non-travel-related Zika in the county. Normally, the county receives between 300 and 400 calls about mosquitoes a month. (ABC News)

Today’s must-read

• For mom of baby born with Zika complications, waiting and uncertainty (Miami Herald)

Wednesday, Aug. 24

The big news right now

• Florida has confirmed the first case of locally transmitted Zika in Pinellas County, on the other side of the state from Miami (WPTV)

• The CDC has added the Bahamas to its Zika travel advisory (CDC)

• Fearful of the effects of Zika on their fetuses, pregnant women are fleeing Miami (STAT)

• Medical diagnostics company OraSure has received up to $16.6 million in federal funding to develop a rapid oral test for Zika (The Morning Call)

• Hillary Clinton has proposed a new federal fund to combat Zika (AP)

Number of the day: 395

The projected number of cases of locally transmitted Zika that Florida will have in total, according to new projections, the most of any state. The state currently has 42 such cases. (Miami Herald)

Zika’s toll

A new study of brain scans of 45 Brazilian babies suggests a worrying possibility, according to the New York Times: “Because some of the damage was seen in brain areas that continue to develop after birth, it may be that babies born without obvious impairment will experience problems as they grow.” (New York Times)

Today’s must-reads

• Minimizing risk poses unique challenges in Zika vaccine trials, scientists say (Fox News)

• Puerto Rico officials struggle to translate Zika virus fears into action (The Guardian)

Tuesday, Aug. 23

The big news right now

• Florida has confirmed 5 new non-travel-related cases of Zika: 4 in Miami and one in Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg is located (WFLA)

• South Dakota confirmed its first Zika case in a woman who traveled overseas (AP)

• Indian track and field Olympian Sudha Singh, who participated in the Rio Games, was briefly quarantined due to concerns she may have contracted Zika, but she has since tested negative (Times of India)

On people’s lips

“Zika is one of those diseases that is always like an iceberg — you just see the tip.” — Alessandro Vespignani, computer scientist at Northeastern University (NPR)

Rio debrief

Today’s must-read

• Zika took her baby. She doesn’t want it to happen to you (NBC News)

Monday, Aug. 22

The big news right now

• Today kids go back to school in Miami-Dade County, Fla. (USA Today)

• An Orlando sperm and egg bank won’t sell any samples collected after Aug. 1, until a screening test for Zika is approved (WUSF)

• Zika will very likely spread locally on the Gulf Coast, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci says (VOA)

On people’s lips

“During pregnancy, a woman often worries about the food she’s eating, if she’s sleeping in the right position. The threat of Zika doesn’t just alter the equation: It blows it up.” — Gynecologist Dr. Kristyn Brandi (Washington Post)

Number of the day: 270

The upper bound of the number of cases of Zika birth defects expected in Puerto Rico through the middle of next year. (JAMA)

Today’s must-read

• Zika: The millennials’ STD? (New York Times)

Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 20-21

The big news right now

• Florida confirmed that the Zika virus is now spreading locally in Miami Beach, as the CDC urged pregnant women to avoid the area (STAT)

• Puerto Rico reported its first death from Zika-related Guillain-Barre syndrome (AP)

• The CDC updated its interim clinical guidance for health care providers caring for babies born to mothers possibly infected with the Zika virus (CDC)

High-rises = no aerial spraying

According to CDC Director Tom Frieden, the many high-rises in Miami Beach, as well as strong winds, prevent aerial spraying of insecticides to kill off Zika-carrying mosquitoes. The high-rises make it impossible for planes to get low enough for the spraying to be effective, while strong winds also hinder the flights. (AP)

Today’s must-reads

• In Florida, expectant mothers are covering up, staying indoors, even leaving town as they try to cope with the Zika virus (New York Times)

• Zika cases jump to 170 in California (Los Angeles Daily News)

Friday, Aug. 19

The big news right now

• Zika is believed to have spread to Miami Beach, which could lead to a travel advisory for the tourist destination (STAT)

• 30 people in Puerto Rico have come down with Guillain-Barré syndrome after being infected with Zika; as many as 200 cases are eventually expected (NBC News)

• Two individuals may have contracted the Zika virus after receiving blood transfusions from an infected donor in Brazil in January (CBS News)

• Six public schools near the Wynwood area of Miami are distributing free school uniforms, consisting of long-sleeved shirts and pants, to families (Miami Herald)

Small solicitors

“Can we come in to look around quickly? We won’t take long!” So said 11-year-old Miguel to a resident of Campina Grande, Brazil, whose door he had knocked on. Schools in the city have begun training students to go door-to-door to tell neighbors about Zika, which meets two needs: Local health officials lack the resources to hire staff to do it, and schools want to educate their students about the virus. And the inspections come with a perfect kid touch: a sticker for residents to keep. (UNICEF)

Today’s must-reads

• In the race to develop a Zika vaccine, volunteers are needed to be infected with the virus (AP)

• Pregnant women with Zika have no way of knowing for sure if their baby will be healthy (Quartz)

Thursday, Aug. 18

The big news right now

• A Taiwanese woman contracted Zika in Miami (Taiwan CDC)

• Two Florida billboards showing an unrolled condom to urge protection against Zika have been removed because the tourism board worried they were inaccurate (WSVN)

• Guatemala has confirmed its first case of Zika-linked microcephaly (Reuters)

Lingo to know

Hofbauer cells: A type of immune cell, found in the placenta, which has been recently discovered to play an important role in Zika transmission to a fetus. The cells appear to physically harbor the virus, according to a new study. (The Atlantic)

On people’s lips

“My gynecologist told me being pregnant with twins, there are more dangers than Zika.” — Puerto Rico resident Tahiri Velez Rosario (USA Today)

Today’s must-read

• The fight against Zika can’t wait for a vaccine (Harvard Business Review)

Wednesday, Aug. 17

The big news right now

• Poland has confirmed its first two cases of Zika infection (Radio Poland)

• New York City officials said that 49 pregnant women have tested positive for Zika since April, and one baby was born with microcephaly (WABC)

Zika refugee

Pregnant Miami resident Christina Frigo is a refugee from her city because of Zika. Now living in the suburbs of Chicago, Frigo says some of her pregnant friends are scared and feeling trapped in Miami, but that she’s met problems elsewhere too — for instance, doctors who have cancelled her appointments after learning she was previously living in a Zika-affected area. (The New Tropic)

Today’s must-reads

• If you drink beer, sweat a lot, or have type O blood, mosquitoes may find you especially desirable (CBS)

• Mosquito guns and heavy fines: how Cuba kept Zika at bay for so long (Nature News)

Tuesday, Aug. 16

The big news right now

• The first case of travel-related Zika within the US has been reported — in a Texas resident who contracted the virus in Miami (USA Today)

• Two more cases of locally acquired Zika have been reported in Miami-Dade County, bringing the state’s total to 30 (CBS)

• Pregnant women on Medicaid in Texas can drop by any pharmacy to get two free cans of mosquito repellant per month (CBS)

• Canada is developing a national surveillance program to track pregnant women who test positive for Zika (Ottawa Citizen)

Spray update

After 10 days of insecticide spraying in Miami, officials report mixed results. The Wynwood area, which received two types of spraying — one to kill larvae and another to kill adults — has seen a drop in the population of Aedes aegypti. But the surrounding area, which just received chemicals to kill adults, has actually seen a rise in mosquito numbers. (Miami Herald)

Number of the day: $4 million

That’s the lifetime cost of raising a child with congenital Zika infection. (Wired)

Today’s must-reads

• Could a special government reserve fund help in dealing with emergencies such as the Zika crisis in the future? (STAT)

• Close to the outbreak, a quiet Brazilian village is spared from Zika (Washington Post)

Monday, Aug. 15

The big news right now

• The flooding that struck Louisiana over the weekend may increase Zika risk in its wake (USA Today)

• Pesticide spraying in Miami has been met with some protests (Local 10)

• Singer Demi Lovato posted a Snapchat video of her mom joking about Zika, which drew immediate criticism (Huffington Post)

Zika scare

The first Olympic athlete to possibly have been infected by Zika is Indian wrestler Babita Kumari. Kumari came down with a fever and body aches; Zika was suspected but never confirmed. She’s back to good health, according to media reports. (First Post)

Today in odd headlines: Bite me

At the Russian Mosquito Festival in Berezniki, there’s an award for getting the most mosquito bites — which this year went to a 9-year-old girl with 43 bites from berry-picking in the forest with her mother. Mosquitoes there, luckily, don’t appear to carry the Zika virus. (AP)

Today’s must-reads

• The race for a Zika vaccine (New Yorker)

• Brazil defeated the mosquito that spreads Zika once before — few expect it to do so again (LA Times)

Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 13-14

The big news right now

• HHS declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico as the island reported 10,690 cases of Zika, including 1,035 involving pregnant women (STAT)

• Three new cases of local mosquito-acquired Zika have been reported in Florida, bringing the total number to 28 (NBC News)

• A southeastern Michigan county has its first confirmed Zika case (Associated Press)

Trump on Zika funding

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Congress should approve funding to fight the Zika virus. In comments to the Miami Herald covering a variety of topics, Trump said he would “let some of the funds that they’re asking for come in. … They’re fighting for it, and hopefully that’s going to be approved very soon.” He also praised Florida Governor Rick Scott’s handling of the current outbreak in Miami: “And I think it’ll be fine.”

Number of the day: 25 percent

The percentage of Puerto Rico residents who could be infected with the Zika virus by the end of the year. (STAT)

Today’s must-read

• In New York City’s fight against Zika, the focus is shifting away from mosquitoes to sex (New York Times)

Friday, Aug. 12

The big news right now

• The Zika virus may remain in men’s semen twice as long as previously reported — up to six months and maybe longer (STAT)

• With funds running out, the Obama administration has been forced to shift money around to fight Zika (STAT)

• The CDC added Cayman Islands to its Zika travel risk list (CDC)

• Three new cases of local mosquito-acquired Zika in Miami have been identified, bringing the statewide total to 25 (Sun Sentinel)

• Canada has reported its first case of Zika-linked microcephaly (Ottawa Citizen)

Brazil’s Zika babies grow up

The immense cost of raising Brazil’s babies with congenital Zika syndrome is straining poor families and the government that supports them. The epidemic is overwhelming hospitals and clinics, which struggle to find enough doctors, therapists — and even basic supplies, such as infant feeding tubes — to meet the need.

STAT’s Melissa Bailey went to Recife, the epicenter of the crisis, to meet the family of one of the country’s first diagnosed infants with the syndrome, baby Duda, who is now 8 months old. Read the full story here.

For this senator, it’s personal

US Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) has called for Congress to end its vacation early to pass Zika funding. And he has a personal investment in this case: His daughter, who lives in Miami, is five months pregnant with her first child and his first grandchild, he said at a recent press conference. “It seems to me that we are not doing enough to protect women like my daughter, before they get pregnant, during, and after.” (YouTube)

Today’s must-read

• Beyond Zika: How Congress is flirting with medical disaster (The New Republic)

Thursday, Aug. 11

The big news right now

• The Bahamas reported its first confirmed case of Zika (AP)

• An additional case of local mosquito-acquired Zika infection has been reported in Miami-Dade County, bringing the total number in Florida to 22 (Miami Herald)

• Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is in Puerto Rico today talking with doctors and residents about Zika (Twitter)

A drought, water politics, and Brazil’s Zika crisis

A prolonged drought and long-standing issues with its water infrastructure underlie Recife, Brazil’s Zika problem and why the area became a hotbed for the virus. In some neighborhoods, for example, the state utility agency runs water only a few times a week, and residents are left to store water in whatever containers they have, providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes. (Frontline)

Range at risk

Scientists have created a new model of where local Zika transmission might occur, taking into account both climate and socioeconomic factors. Blue areas are those considered most at risk in both dimensions.

Today’s must-read

• I got Zika. The US health care system had no idea what to do with me (Vox)

Wednesday, Aug. 10

The big news right now

• Texas reported its first Zika-related death, of a baby born with microcephaly and other birth defects (STAT)

• Florida has reported four additional cases of Zika likely acquired through local mosquito bites, bringing the total to 21 (Governor’s office)

• In her visit to a Miami health clinic, Hillary Clinton called on Congress to reconvene to pass Zika funding (STAT)

• USAID has awarded $15 million in grants to 21 pilot projects to combat Zika (USAID)

• Businesses in the epicenter of Miami’s Zika outbreak are suffering and asking for help, including the creation of an emergency fund (Miami Herald)

Candidate divide

Today’s must-read

• Pregnant Zika victim alerted officials to Florida outbreak (Wall Street Journal)

Tuesday, Aug. 9

The big news right now

• Cayman Islands, in the Caribbean, has reported its first locally transmitted Zika infection (Reuters)

• In addition to neurological effects, Zika can cause joint problems in babies when infected in utero, a new study finds (USA Today)

• Florida officials are investigating Palm Beach County’s first reported case of non-travel-related Zika, bringing the statewide total to 17 people (Palm Beach Post)

What’s ahead

Hillary Clinton will take a detour from talking about job creation in Florida to discuss Zika today. Later today she will tour the Borinquen Medical Center, which is near the Wynwood neighborhood in Miami where most of the local transmission of the virus has occurred to date. She’s expected to call on Congress to reconvene to approve Zika response funding. (Washington Times)

Number of the day: 65%

The share of Americans who say they are “not too” or “not at all” worried about being infected with Zika or an immediate family member becoming infected, according to a new poll. (Washington Post/ABC News)

Today’s must-read

• While small biotechs and government researchers are racing to develop a Zika vaccine, the world’s top-tier drug companies are largely watching from the sidelines (STAT)

Monday, Aug. 8

The big news right now

• Aerial mosquito spraying began this weekend in Miami, focusing on the Wynwood neighborhood (NBC)

• “Zika” appears to be the crowd’s favored taunt of American athletes in Rio (USA Today)

• Puerto Rico’s doctors are offering free birth control to all women on the island (NPR)

• Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who has been in favor of Zika legislation, said on Saturday that pregnant women infected with the virus shouldn’t be able to have abortions (Politico)

Viral shrine

Today’s must-read

• She went to Miami to report about the Zika virus, but she may have ended up contracting it as well (Reveal)

Saturday-Sunday, Aug. 6-7

The big news right now

• Florida took a step closer to releasing genetically modified mosquitoes as a way to combat Zika (STAT)

• The FTC has sent 10 warning letters to marketers for making questionable claims about purported anti-Zika products (FTC)

• Florida identified a new non-travel-related case of Zika infection in the epicenter of the current outbreak (Florida Health Department)

On people’s lips

“We’ve gone from getting zero Zika specimens to getting hundreds a day.” — Dr. Jennifer Rakeman, New York City’s chief Zika hunter. (Wall Street Journal)

Today’s must-reads

• Now that local transmission of the Zika virus has hit the US, Congress needs to stop playing politics and provide funding (STAT)

• Why developing a Zika vaccine will probably be a slow slog (Quartz)

• In Recife, Brazil, medical professionals and women’s health advocates rally around children born with Zika-related microcephaly, and their mothers (Huffington Post)

• Puerto Rico is getting hammered by Zika, but its residents don’t seem too concerned (CNN)

Friday, Aug. 5

The big news right now

• A STAT-Harvard poll found most Americans favor allowing late-term abortions in cases where a pregnant mother is infected with Zika (STAT)

• President Obama urges Congress to pass Zika funding (STAT)

• Three separate Zika vaccines have shown efficacy in monkeys (NBC)

• With the Olympics here, there are plenty of bikinis but nary a mosquito in Rio (STAT)

I dare you to wear this

Japanese firm Bibilab has designed a Zika suit that is essentially a head-to-toe net to keep wearers from getting bitten by mosquitoes. The outfit makes the wearer look as if he or she is surrounded by a force field. Bibilab says that while it offers protection, it will not offer 100 percent protection. (Daily Mail)

On people’s lips

“We have bigger mosquitoes to squash than Zika — like ISIS, the national debt, Iraq, and Afghanistan. We have a wall to build to keep the illegals out. We have so many other issues that are more important than this.” — Juan Fiol, vice chairman for Miami-Dade County for Donald Trump’s campaign. (Daily Kos)

Today’s must-reads

• Pregnant women in the epicenter of Florida’s Zika outbreak are unable to avoid the area, putting them on edge (AP)

• The virus has caused those wanting to get pregnant to delay or otherwise change their plans (CNN)

Thursday, Aug. 4

The big news right now

• The New York attorney general is cracking down on seven marketers for alleged deceptive marketing of Zika-related insect repellants (STAT)

• The CDC issued travel notices for Antigua and Barbuda, and Turks and Caicos Islands (CDC)

• Despite stringent mosquito controls, Cuba has seen its first two cases of locally contracted Zika (Reuters)

• 33 US military personnel are believed to have contracted Zika, including one pregnant woman (Reuters)

• Asked how he would combat Zika virus, Donald Trump said Florida governor Rick Scott is doing a “fantastic job” and “seems to have it under control” (CNN)

The latest from Florida

• Pregnant women will get free testing for Zika at county health departments (Governor’s office)

• FDA approval for the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys is expected “any minute now,” Oxitec says (Reuters)

• CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden says the travel advisory for Florida could last up to a year (Washington Post)

Cher on Zika

Not for the first time, Cher weighed in on Zika with emojis and caps lock. This time, she went political. (Twitter)

Today’s must-reads

• Researchers are trying to decipher why Brazil is so susceptible to birth defects resulting from Zika (CNN)

• Some airlines have changed their refund policies following a Zika-related travel advisory from the CDC (The Hill)

• As many as about 40,000 people in the US could have the Zika infection from having traveled abroad (New Scientist)

Wednesday, Aug. 3

The big news right now

• The NIH has dosed its first human volunteer with an experimental Zika vaccine, just a week after Inovio met the same milestone (MIT Technology Review)

• Relatively few women and girls in states that could see Zika outbreaks use effective birth control methods (STAT)

• The CDC is devoting $16 million to a surveillance system to track microcephaly cases across much of the US (CDC)

• New York plans to drop larvicide into water pooled along New York City’s subway tracks as a preventive strategy against Zika (New York Post)

The latest from Florida

Florida health officials are investigating an additional case of non-travel-related Zika infection in Miami-Dade County, which may suggest the outbreak is spreading beyond the Wynwood area.

Miami plans to begin aerial mosquito spraying in Wynwood, but that was delayed due to inclement weather today.

But the city is testing whether mosquitoes there have become resistant to common insecticides.

And outdoor activities in the Wynwood neighborhood, including the unfortunately named class “The Naked Bite,” are being moved or cancelled entirely.

Meanwhile in Rio

Zika got the cover treatment by the New Yorker this week. (Twitter)

Today’s must-reads

• A Zika vaccine may be farther away than we want to believe (Wall Street Journal)

• Chelsea Clinton’s pregnancy and concern about Zika helped shaped Hillary Clinton’s policies on the virus (Politico)

Tuesday, Aug. 2

The big news right now

• The CDC is advising pregnant women to avoid Miami-Dade County in Florida, where local mosquitoes are believed to be transmitting the Zika virus (STAT)

• US Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut wants congressional Republicans to call for an emergency session to provide more funding for the Zika virus (CBS Connecticut)

• Theranos has submitted its Zika blood test, running on its newly unveiled testing platform, for FDA evaluation (STAT)

• The Hong Kong government is offering its residents attending the Rio Olympics Zika testing upon their return as part of a clinical study (RTHK)

Utah update

After a mysterious case of Zika was found in Utah that may have been transmitted from a father to a son, health officials went door to door to solicit blood tests from nearly 100 neighbors, according to the Deseret News. All results have been negative so far, though, and CDC staffers that were deployed to help have now left Utah. Officials say their findings should be announced by early September.

Today’s must-reads

• Three reasons Puerto Rico is getting hammered by Zika (Time)

• What cities can learn from Key West’s Zika controversy (CityLab)

Monday, Aug. 1

The big news right now

• The UK government advises pregnant women to delay travel to Florida (Guardian)

• Two golfers who skipped the Olympics because of Zika now face the virus in their home state of Florida (Telegraph)

• Reggae star Beenie Man says he was denied a visa to Canada, where he was due to perform, because of Zika infection (Rolling Stone)

On people’s lips

“I saw 30 pregnant women today, so I had 30 conversations about Zika.” — Dr. Christine Curry, obstetrician-gynecologist in Miami, in the wake of the first locally transmitted cases of Zika there (STAT)

Playing it safe

ESPN business reporter Darren Rovell tweeted this photo over the weekend of one athlete’s mosquito protection.

Today’s must-read

• Zika cases in Puerto Rico are skyrocketing (New York Times)

For more Zika in 30 Seconds archives click here.

— Curated by Lisa Raffensperger and Elana Zak