Media outlets report on a Kaiser Family Foundation poll that examined the public’s views on changing the U.S. health system and included some questions on the Zika outbreak.

Becker’s Hospital Review: Kaiser poll: American public closely following Flint, Zika news and getting good information overall
“The American public is following a number of health care- and infection-related issues in the news closely, and they mostly have a good grasp on the facts, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. Of respondents, 28 percent attested to very closely following the news regarding the lead poisoning crisis in Flint, Mich., with 35 percent saying they were following it fairly closely. The next most-followed story was the Zika virus outbreak, with 20 percent of respondents reporting following it very closely and 37 percent following it fairly closely…” (Green, 2/25).

Huffington Post: The Latest On Zika Virus
“…Three-fourths say that they know it is passed via mosquito bite, more than half know it can also be sexually transmitted, and seven in 10 know it can’t be spread just by shaking someone’s hands. Six in 10 [respondents] also know that there are cases of Zika virus in the U.S., and that the disease may be linked to birth defects. Finally, 43 percent of respondents said they were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ worried that the U.S. will have a large number of Zika virus cases in the next year…” (Almendrala, 2/25).

POLITICO: What to expect at the White House today
“…Interestingly, the public seems more informed on Zika — and less terrified — than they were on Ebola 18 months ago. Three-quarters of respondents understood that Zika could be transmitted by mosquito bites, and just 28 percent said they were worried that they or a family member would be infected. In contrast, many Americans in October 2014 were confused by Ebola transmission, and nearly half of respondents believed that they or a family member would be infected by it…” (Diamond, 2/25).