Increased risk: The massive flooding across southeastern Louisiana over the weekend could bring an increased risk for the Zika virus after the waters recede, an expert in tropical medicine tells USA Today. Strong floodwaters often wash away mosquito eggs, which would be good news. But mosquito eggs already laid in containers, such as empty buckets or tires, could be protected from surging water and then be stimulated to hatch after the flooding recedes, says Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Hotez says there could be an increase in the number of Aedes aegypti—the mosquito species that carries the Zika virus—in the coming weeks. Read the full story.
Games without rules: The International Olympic Committee is fending off massive cyberattacks during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, The Associated Press reports. “Throughout the games, the same in London (in 2012) when you are the center of attention of the world, there are massive attempts everyday all day long to break our security,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams tells The AP. “We have it all year round anyway but it’s particularly intense at the moment.” The IOC is coming under “regular attack,” he says. The Court of Arbitration for Sport warned earlier this week of attempts to break into its website. The sports court is overseeing doping sanctions at the Olympics for the first time. The World Anti-Doping Agency has disclosed a successful breach of its system by hackers, who gained access to Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova’s account for the ADAMS database, which tracks athletes for drug testing. Read the full story.
No credit needed: Data from the Federal Reserve indicates that the percentage of Americans under 35 who hold credit card debt has fallen to its lowest level since 1989, when the Fed began collecting data in a standardized way, according to an analysis by The New York Times. Their reluctance in becoming indebted could have lasting repercussions for the financial system and the economy. Early use of credit cards has, in the past, helped young Americans develop a comfort level with credit that can last a lifetime and lead to a succession of big purchases financed by debt, the publication explains. Without a substantial credit history, it is much harder to take out a home mortgage, for example. Read the full story.
