All states now required to report Zika cases
ABC World News (1/28, story 5, 2:50, Muir) reported that the World Health Organization warned Thursday that the Zika virus is “spreading explosively.” Boston reported its first case of Zika on Thursday, bringing the total to 31 cases in 11 US states, while as many as 1.5 million cases have been reported in Brazil. In its lead story, the CBS Evening News (1/28, lead story, 2:35, Pelley) said the WHO estimates the virus could infect 4 million people by the end of 2016.
The Washington Post (1/28, A1, Cha, Sun) reports on its front page that US officials announced that all states are now required to report Zika cases, and they expect this will lead to a “sharp increase in reports of travel-related cases.” However, they reiterated that the US is “unlikely” to see widespread local outbreaks.
The NPR (1/28, Stein) “Shots” blog reports the “CDC is collaborating with the NIH to develop better tests for the virus.” The NIH has “also issued a call for researchers already receiving funding for work on viruses like Zika to do more research to better understand it.”