How serious of a threat to the US is the Zika Virus, and can it be contained with the same methods that stopped malaria?

Looks like it’s usually a mild illness, so that’s good. Probably, it will be more and more in the US if it’s already here in the Americas. Although, we have very very few cases of malaria, but we do have some. Same with Dengue, and West Nile. Actually, west Nile more so than the others.

Hopefully, it’s one of those illnesses if you get it once you’re immune. I figure I likely have had West Nile I’m such a mosquito magnet, so I never fret about it. I know someone who dyed from West Nile.

Hopefully it’s not as severe as Ebola…

The US does not have the environment that would foster the spread of a mosquito borne pathogen like a Malaria epidemic. I would not rule out a case here or there similar to what we see with West Nile virus infections but I doubt it will bring even that number of cases. This time of year your focus should be on flu’s and pneumonia. Wash your hands often and go on with your lives.

My guess would be that the big factor would be whether mosquitoes adapted to our climates are capable of carrying the disease. Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi would be high on my list.

Hopeless cause. Even with the avian flu going around, I still see SO MANY pools of water where mosquitoes breed. If people are ever going to give a flying fig, they need to get it together! And it ain’t gonna happen!

Am I incorrect in my assumption that the primary danger of Zika is to a developing fetus which can be severely affected? I’m pretty sure I read that in one of the news articles but don’t remember specifically which one.

I can’t find a link so I have to post the whole thing. I subscribe to the CDC and got this email this morning….

Media Statement

Friday, January 22, 2016

Contact: CDC Media Relations
404–639-3286

CDC adds countries to interim travel guidance related to Zika virus

CDC is working with other public health officials to monitor for ongoing Zika virus‎ transmission. Today, CDC added the following destinations to the Zika virus travel alerts: Barbados, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, Guyana, Cape Verde, and Samoa. On January 15, CDC issued a travel alert (Level 2-Practice Enhanced Precautions) for people traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing: the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory; Brazil; Colombia; El Salvador; French Guiana; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; Martinique; Mexico; Panama; Paraguay; Suriname; and Venezuela. Specific areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing are often difficult to determine and are likely to continue to change over time.

As more information becomes available, CDC travel alerts will be updated. Travelers to areas where cases of Zika virus infection have been recently confirmed are at risk of being infected with the Zika virus. Travelers to these areas may also be at risk of being infected with dengue or chikungunya viruses. Mosquitoes that spread Zika, chikungunya, and dengue are aggressive daytime biters, prefer to bite people, and live indoors and outdoors near people. There is no vaccine or medicine available for Zika virus. The best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to prevent mosquito bites.

Some travelers to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission will become infected while traveling but will not become sick until they return home. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. Other commonly reported symptoms include muscle pain, headache, and pain behind the eyes. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and case fatality is low. Travelers to these areas should monitor for symptoms or illness upon return. If they become ill, they should tell their healthcare professional where they have traveled and when.

Until more is known, and out of an abundance of caution, CDC continues to recommend that pregnant women and women trying to become pregnant take the following precautions:

• Pregnant women in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women who must travel to one of these areas should talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional first and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites during the trip.
• Women trying to become pregnant should consult with their healthcare professional before traveling to these areas and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during the trip.

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has been reported in patients with probable Zika virus infection in French Polynesia and Brazil. Research efforts will also examine the link between Zika and GBS.

Learn More>>
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@Buttonstc I read today there is also a threat to the immune system. Like the shrunken braincases of babies wasn’t bad enough!

@Cruiser The CDC is a government agency that is also prone to misinformation. I sent them a message once to tell them how I may have contracted MRSA and they ignored my possibly relevant info.

@kritiper Then that makes two of us as I tried to call them to let them know I had a bad case of toe fungus and I was put on hold for hours.

@Cruiser Don’t be so mean.

@kritiper I don’t think MRSA is on the CDC reportable list. I think it is in some states? Even so, the CDC should have responded to you.

@JLeslie It was so weird! I just wanted to tell them (the CDC) how I thought I contracted the infection and they told me I could only get the infection from another who had an infection. (I hadn’t had close physical contact with another for 20 years, and I could’ve told them that!!!) They totally blew me off.

@JLeslie Sorry if that came off as mean or crass…I am obsessed with the CDC, WHO, HHS etc. that I couldn’t resist replying to @kritiper. Planning for a pandemic for over 10 years that never comes will do this to an otherwise sane person

Update:

Who thinks now this could get serious in parts of the world.

WHO: Zika virus ‘spreading explosively,’ ‘level of alarm extremely high’

Thanks, @Cruiser, but they are certainly sending mixed messages.

It’s spreading explosively, but they still don’t have a direct link to birth defects, that I’ve heard. Aren’t all the confirmed cases still confined to Brazil?

I’ve found it disconcerting from the outset that they referred to the virus causing “abnormally small heads” without trying to explain the consequences.

It’s like they’re trying to raise the alarm without unduly alarming anyone.

@ibstubro The effects of microcephaly are death, and/or developmental problems. Like vegetative lumps of living flesh, if they live, with little or no mental processes.
I find the news of the rapidly spreading virus most interesting, as well as alarming.
But I also think that raising the alarm of zika, microcephaly, and other dangers (like MRSA), does greater harm than good notably because there is little if nothing anyone can do to stop them.

Some children with microcephaly have normal intelligence and experience no particular difficulty with schoolwork, physical activity, relationships or any other aspect of their lives. However, many children with the disease – especially those with more severe cases – face:

mild to significant learning disabilities
impaired motor functions
difficulty with movement and balance
speech delays

They can also have other medical problems, like:

very short stature or dwarfism
facial deformities
seizures

There are certainly ways to stop Zika, @kritiper. Malaria, Dengue and Chikungunya are rare in the US.

@ibstubro The WHO CDC and all others involved are tasked with the daunting job of putting context into an evolving virus that is not all that severe for the majority of people that get it if they even find out they were infected other than the females who are pregnant and give birth to a baby with a smaller brain. These organizations tasked with being on the front lines of all things viral are IMO usually very restrained and go to great lengths to avoid the Chicken Little syndrome. If they step out in the limelight it is because they know something we don’t yet know all the details on and are erring on the side of caution. God forbid they are ever asleep at the wheel.

@ibstubro One would hope so, wouldn’t they? You would have to get EVERYONE involved to take care of stagnant water EVERYWHERE. But with so many people only watching sports on TV, who would hear the message? Answer: not enough!
I know what you’re saying! In a perfect world you would be right. I’m a realist and not so optimistic…