TROPICAL DISEASE BUZZ — As the CDC warns travelers about yet another tropical disease threatening anyone returning from South America or the Caribbean, public health experts are growing concerned about the U.S.’ ability to prepare for and respond to such outbreaks, Lauren writes. Climate change, urbanization and world travel have increased the odds of those insect-borne diseases taking hold domestically. But the spread of illnesses like dengue and Zika can be difficult to predict and even more complex to handle than respiratory pathogens, according to Cyrus Shahpar, director of pandemic and biological threats intelligence at the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. What the administration is doing: The White House pandemic office counts vector-borne diseases among its core priorities, Shahpar told Lauren. In February, HHS and the CDC — which started as a malaria prevention agency — released a national strategy to prevent and control vector-borne diseases. The document, which features input from more than a dozen federal agencies, describes goals for the government to meet to improve its readiness for outbreaks while acknowledging gaps in surveillance and testing infrastructure and in available therapeutics. Anna Durbin, a Johns Hopkins professor who studies experimental vaccines for tropical diseases, said it’s hard to convince drug companies to stick with the regulatory process for getting shots and treatments to market given the variability of outbreaks. Worries persist: Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said he wants to see the White House office do more. He’s concerned that the strategy lacks urgency about the threat of vector-borne diseases that could flourish in regions like the Gulf Coast, where he lives. Harris County, which includes Houston and has its own vector control department, is an exception, Hotez said. He’d like to see the federal government be more bullish on deploying advanced surveillance technologies to ascertain what pathogens are spreading where so governments can plan interventions like spraying. Latest CDC warning: The agency issued a health advisory on Aug. 16 warning clinicians to monitor returning travelers for Oropouche virus disease, which is endemic to the Amazon basin but has spread. Eleven American travelers have been identified, but authorities are concerned because of the risk of stillbirth or birth defects if pregnant people get infected. “Zika was terrifying,” Hotez said of the virus, which also causes the birth defect microcephaly, which causes a small head size, in newborns. “Now we’ve got at least two viruses doing that.” IT’S FRIDAY. WELCOME BACK TO PRESCRIPTION PULSE. Lauren successfully eliminated one mosquito from her home while writing this morning’s story. Reach out and send tips to David Lim (dlim@politico.com or @davidalim) and Lauren Gardner (lgardner@politico.com or @Gardner_LM).
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