Zika Virus

[mjvcaj]

Maybe I missed it, but surprised nobody has been talking about this on here.

I'm not sure if the situation is overblown or not, but it is already affecting travel and seems like a huge risk to US pregnant women during the warmer months.

I did read that Brazil is witnessing an unprecedented rise in microcephelay, that which began in 2010.

http://m.voanews.com/a/zika-virus-spreading-rapidly/3167910.html

 

[Noodle]

Maybe I missed it, but surprised nobody has been talking about this on here.

I'm not sure if the situation is overblown or not, but it is already affecting travel and seems like a huge risk to US pregnant women during the warmer months.

I did read that Brazil is witnessing an unprecedented rise in microcephelay, that which began in 2010.

http://m.voanews.com/a/zika-virus-spreading-rapidly/3167910.html

First, where did you get the 2010 from? I thought that it was only recently found in Brazil, and that the increase in microcephaly in Brazil began within the past year.

In any event, what I find perhaps most interesting right now is that there really is no hard proof linking the Zika virus and the rise in microcephaly. Of the 4,000 cases in Brazil, only 6 "have been strongly linked to Zika virus via laboratory testing that confirms genetic material from the virus is present in the infant." (see linked story below) On top of that, microcephaly itself is a somewhat nebulous condition, characterized primarily by an abnormally small head rather than biomarkers, genetic markers, etc. Clearly, something seems to be going on in Brazil, however, and experts have been willing to connect the dots back to the Zika virus. Of course that also means that many in the general public have all kinds of misconceptions about the Zika virus. In fact, I would not be surprised if it comes up in the presidential race. What's the over/under on Trump calling for a ban on travel to the U.S. from Brazil?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-would-it-take-to-prove-the-zika-microcephaly-link1/

 

[mike41703]

Maybe I missed it, but surprised nobody has been talking about this on here.

I'm not sure if the situation is overblown or not, but it is already affecting travel and seems like a huge risk to US pregnant women during the warmer months.

I did read that Brazil is witnessing an unprecedented rise in microcephelay, that which began in 2010.

http://m.voanews.com/a/zika-virus-spreading-rapidly/3167910.html

Seems like for most people it's no big deal. Probably overblown like most of these things tend to be.

 

[Noodle]

Seems like for most people it's no big deal. Probably overblown like most of these things tend to be.

For individuals travelling to affected areas, yes. However, if the virus actually is the cause of microcephaly in infants, it could become a very big problem even for pregnant woman who do not travel to affected areas. Every person returning from, say Brazil, is a potential vector for the virus even if they themselves never have any symptoms. It's no big deal for that person, but if they get "bit" by a mosquito, then that mosquito bites someone else, the virus passes from one person to the next. Eventually, one of the people in that chain could be a pregnant woman.

*as I'm sure you know, mosquitos are incapable of biting.

 

[mike41703]

For individuals travelling to affected areas, yes. However, if the virus actually is the cause of microcephaly in infants, it could become a very big problem even for pregnant woman who do not travel to affected areas. Every person returning from, say Brazil, is a potential vector for the virus even if they themselves never have any symptoms. It's no big deal for that person, but if they get "bit" by a mosquito, then that mosquito bites someone else, the virus passes from one person to the next. Eventually, one of the people in that chain could be a pregnant woman.

*as I'm sure you know, mosquitos are incapable of biting.

Yeah. I guess my lack of concern is due to being done having children. If we weren't, I would watch this MUCH closer.

 

[mjvcaj]

First, where did you get the 2010 from? I thought that it was only recently found in Brazil, and that the increase in microcephaly in Brazil began within the past year.

Sorry, you are correct. I misread the statistic as 2010 - present vs. prior cases. It was stated as 2010-2014 vs. 2015 incidence.

On 11 November 2015, the Brazilian Ministry of Health declared a public health emergency in relation to an unusual increase in the number of children born with microcephaly in 2015 in Pernambuco state [49]. As of 9 November, 141 cases of microcephaly have been notified in newborns in Pernambuco state in 2015 compared with an average of 10 cases per year from 2010–2014. An increase of microcephaly was also reported in the states of Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte. In Brazil, 150–200 microcephaly cases have been reported on average every year from 2010 to 2014 (Figure 1).

 

[mjvcaj]

Yeah. I guess my lack of concern is due to being done having children. If we weren't, I would watch this MUCH closer.

But, for society's sake, you have to acknowledge that it is potentially large problem, particularly with the reduction in birth rates in developed countries in general, including ours.

That being said, as someone with a newborn and that is thinking about having more children, I'm sure I am oversensitive to the risks and buying into the epidemic hype too easily.