By Jacob Solis
INTERNATIONAL
As Zika outbreak worsens in Latin America, 3 cases are confirmed in U.K.
The Zika virus, a mosquito-borne virus that causes mild symptoms ranging from fever to joint pain, has officially been found in three British citizens after they had traveled to South America, according to Time Magazine.
The virus has been connected to microcephaly, a birth defect where the baby’s head is smaller than normal, stunting brain development. Latin America has been struggling with Zika and microcephaly in recent months, with more than 4,000 cases of the defect being reported in Brazil alone since October of last year.
Some nations have taken steps to stem the rate of birth defects, asking women to wait to have children in time frames from a few weeks to several years. The World Health Organization has predicted that Zika is likely to spread throughout North and South America, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued travel warnings for pregnant women traveling to the region.
The cases in Britain are compounded with a number of cases in the U.S., where the disease has been reported in both Florida and Illinois. There is no vaccine for the illness, which usually clears up by itself in a week or so, though with the current outbreak there is a growing push by officials to develop a vaccine.
NATIONAL
North Dakota abortion law officially blocked by Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal on a lower court ruling that struck down North Dakota’s abortion ban, officially blocking the measure, according to NPR. The so-called “fetal heartbeat” law was once considered one of the tightest abortion bans in the nation as it banned abortions after a heartbeat could be detected, often six weeks into the pregnancy.
The lower court blocked the law because the historic Roe v. Wade decision mandates that abortions must be allowed until the fetus is viable, 23 or 24 weeks into the pregnancy. North Dakota’s law often made it impossible for women to get abortions because, prior to six weeks into a pregnancy, it is uncommon to be aware that one is even pregnant. The challenge to the law came shortly after the legislature passed the measure by North Dakota’s only abortion provider, the Red River Women’s Clinic in Fargo.
While the challenge to North Dakota’s law is over, the Supreme Court will eventually hear a challenge to a Texas abortion ban that has directly led to the closure of half of the state’s abortion clinics.
LOCAL
Reno PD busts 10 local businesses for selling alcohol to minors
Ten businesses around Reno, including Pub N Sub and the Blind Onion, were cited Monday for selling alcohol to minors, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.
The crime, a misdemeanor, carries a fine of $500, and was discovered by the Regional Street Enforcement Team through an underage sting operation that was funded by federal grant money. SET used several underage volunteers to verify that 31 establishments were not violating the law.
Jacob Solis can be reached at jsolis@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @TheSagebrush.
