Media/Policy Watch
This section is intended to alert readers to substantive news, analysis and opinion from the general media on vaccines, immunization, global; public health and related themes. Media Watch is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicative of themes and issues CVEP is actively tracking. This section will grow from an initial base of newspapers, magazines and blog sources, and is segregated from Journal Watch above which scans the peer-reviewed journal ecology.

We acknowledge the Western/Northern bias in this initial selection of titles and invite suggestions for expanded coverage. We are conservative in our outlook in adding news sources which largely report on primary content we are already covering above. Many electronic media sources have tiered, fee-based subscription models for access. We will provide full-text where content is published without restriction, but most publications require registration and some subscription level.

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The Atlantic
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Accessed 13 February 2016
The Zika Virus Family Tree: What Are Flaviviruses? – The Atlantic
Chelsey Coombs • Feb 10, 2016
What the disease spreading through the Americas has in common with yellow fever, dengue, and other flaviviruses.

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The Economist
http://www.economist.com/
Accessed 13 February 2016
Politics and vaccinations: What experts say, and what people hear
Feb 5th 2015, 15:47 by N.L. | CHICAGO The Economist
Both the media and politicians are complicit in the spread of anti-vaccine scare stories.

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Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/
Accessed 13 February 2016
With Zika, Is There Really A Case Against Postponing The 2016 Olympic Games in Rio?
Given the Zika virus outbreak, national and international athletic associations and officials face huge liability if they let teams travel to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and health problems ensue. Those worries are now starting to surface.
Lee Igel, Contributor Feb 12, 2016

Zika On Wall Street: Can These Companies Really Cash In On The Virus?
With the Dow down 9% and the Nasdaq having plunged 15% since New Year’s, it has been a lousy start to 2016 on Wall Street—but you wouldn’t know it from the bang-up performance of Intrexon, Cerus and Inovio Pharmaceuticals. What do these three biotech companies have in common? They’re all hoping to cash in on the rise of Zika virus, the mosquito-borne illness that originated in Brazil and has been linked to birth defects. All three companies are working on methods for preventing or treating the virus….
Arlene Weintraub, Contributor Feb 09, 2016

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Mail & Guardian
http://mg.co.za/
Accessed 13 February 2016
Good job so far, but African leaders need to still do a lot more on vaccines
Of the 10 countries with the most unvaccinated children, 5 are African: DR Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda
08 Feb 2016 15:10 Ayo Ajayi
…In Ethiopia later this month, ministers of health and finance, as well as other national, traditional and religious leaders, will gather to discuss the unbeatable value of immunisation at the first-ever Ministerial Conference on Immunisation in Africa. This moment presents the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the benefits of vaccine programs, celebrate the successes on the continent, look seriously at what needs to be done to make sure all children get the vaccines they need, and then commit to making that happen…

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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Accessed 13 February 2016
Catholic Leaders Say Zika Doesn’t Change Ban on Contraception
February 14, 2016 – By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

More Than 5,000 Pregnant Women in Colombia Have Zika Virus: Government
February 13, 2016 – By REUTERS

W.H.O. Official on Zika Vaccine Plans
The World Health Organization said Friday that large-scale trials for a Zika virus vaccine were at least a year and a half away.
February 12, 2016 – By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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Time
http://time.com
Accessed 13 February 2016
Gates Foundation: Fear Must Not Dictate Zika Policy
5 February 2016
By Chris Elias and Trevor Mundel
Presidents of Global Development and Global Health respectively, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Early reactions to the HIV/AIDS epidemic demonstrate the dangers of letting fear dictate policy
The spread of Zika virus across the Americas reminds us that a health crisis anywhere can rapidly become a health challenge everywhere. The current outbreak demands an urgent, coordinated and collaborative response by the international community to tackle the virus and its spread.
History teaches us that our response must also be rational and humane. The early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic demonstrated the dangers of letting fear dictate policy. As families understandably struggle with the anxiety and uncertainty from this new threat, we must ensure we are guided by facts and science…

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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Accessed 13 February 2016
NIH officials accelerate timeline for human trials of Zika vaccine, saying they will now begin in the summer –
By Ariana Eunjung Cha February 12
National Institutes of Health officials said this week that researchers may be closer to developing a Zika vaccine than previously thought and that tests on human subjects could begin in as soon as a few months.
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in an interview that government scientists have been able to leverage previous research done on two similar viruses — West Nile and dengue — to very quickly create a hybrid vaccine that targets Zika. The researchers are now working on fine-tuning the vaccine and in manufacturing enough of it to be able to test it on 20-30 healthy individuals this summer. Fauci said he is optimistic the experimental vaccine would pass those initial tests and would be ready for a larger-scale trial in early 2017.