Announcement

**Gert van der Hoek** · February 13, 2016, 02:29 AM

REPORT from Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Villages regarding Dengue-Zika, microcephaly, and mass-spraying with chemical poisons

Main points:

1-Dengue epidemic in Brazil persists endemically (on an ongoing basis) due to the marginalisation and misery of millions of people, especially in Northeast Brazil. On top of that, Zika virus, a similar disease although more benign, is now spreading.

2. A dramatic increase of congenital malformations, especially microcephaly in newborns, was detected and quickly linked to the Zika virus by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. However, they fail to recognise that in the area where most sick persons live, a chemical larvicide producing malformations in mosquitoes has been applied for 18 months, and that this poison (pyroproxyfen) is applied by the State on drinking water used by the affected population.

3. Previous Zika epidemics did not cause birth defects in newborns, despite infecting 75% of the population in those countries. Also, in other countries such as Colombia there are no records of microcephaly; however, there are plenty of Zika cases.

3. The pyroproxyfen being used (as recommended by WHO) is manufactured by Sumimoto Chemical, a Japanese subsidiary of Monsanto.

4. Brazilian doctors (Abrasco) are claiming that the strategy of chemical control is contaminating the environment as well as people, that it is not decreasing the amount of mosquitoes, and that this strategy is in fact a commercial manoeuvre from the chemical poisons industry, deeply integrated into Latin American ministries of health as well as WHO and PAHO.

5. Massive spreading using planes, as the governments of Mercosur are considering, is criminal, useless, and a political manoeuvre to simulate that actions are taken. The basis of the progress of the disease lies in inequality and poverty, and the best defence are community-based actions.

6. The last strategy deployed in Brazil, and which might be replicated in all our countries, is the use of GM mosquitoes —a total failure, except for the company supplying mosquitoes.

February 3, 2016, Production Team REDUAS, Coordinator Dr. Medardo Avila Vazquez.

LINK TO FULL DOCUMENT - PDF

**sharon sanders** · February 13, 2016, 06:36 PM

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Brazil: The MOH Addresses The Larvacide Debate

# 11,012

Over the past couple of days a report from the Argentine environmental activist website Red Universitaria de Ambiente y Salud – Medicos de pueblos fumigados called REPORT from Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Town regarding Dengue-Zika, microcephaly, and massive spraying with chemical poisons has been making huge waves, with many activist websites promoting the document.

The gist of it is the authors believe the larvacide Pyriproxyfen, which has been used on some drinking water supplies in Brazil, is a more likely cause of microcephaly than the Zika virus.

You can read it for yourself, but other than its introduction to Northeastern Brazil in 2014 - about the same time as the Zika virus arrived - the evidence for causation seems pretty thin. One does hope that all reasonable possibilities are being looked at - not just Zika - but whether this qualifies . . . I've no idea.

It does, however, tap into a very popular sentiment - the growing distrust of the agro-chemical industry - and is therefore getting a lot of play.

Enough that today, the Minister of Health for the southern state of Rio Grande De Sol ordered the temporary suspension of the use of the larvacide for use on drinking waster pending an investigation.

A fairly easy decision for Rio Grande De Sol, as they reportedly rarely use the chemical. They also only have one microcephalic birth reported, for whatever that is worth.

First the official (translated) statement, followed by the Brazilian MOH's response.

SES Announces suspension of use of Pyriproxyfenlarvicidal Township

Secretary announced the suspension of larvicidal in water for human consumption during d-day to combat Aedes aegypti Mosquito

Is temporarily suspended in Rio Grande do Sul the use indrinking water of Pyriproxyfen larvicidal, used to stop thedevelopment of larvae of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This was announced this Saturday (13) by the Secretary John Gabbardoof Kings, at the opening of d-day to combat Mosquito. The decision is due to the assumption that the substance mayenhance the brain malformation caused by zika virus, raised byargentina medical Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Towns. The suspension has already been communicated to the 19 regionalHealth company departments of the State, which shall inform the Municipal Surveillance.
The larvicidal was used on a small scale in Rio Grande do Sul,only in specific cases, when it is not possible to avoid theaccumulation of water or remove the containers, such asfountains and cement pots in cemeteries. "We decided tosuspend the use of the product in water for human consumptionuntil it has a position of the Ministry of health and thereforestrengthen further the appeal to the population to that eliminatesany possible outbreak of the mosquito," explained the Secretary. According to the data from environmental monitoring,75% of the foci are located in residential or domesticenvironments.

Within minutes of this announcement, many advocates of the theory were declaring victory on Twitter, calling Zika a hoax and blaming the government. The Brazilian MOH responded to the RS MOH's decision, with the following statement.

Registration Date: 02/13/2016 15:02:14 the change in the 02/13/2016 16:02:23

Clarification on the use of larvicide pyriproxifen

There is no epidemiological studies showing the association between use of pyriproxifen and microcephaly. The Ministry of Health only uses larvicides recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Products undergo a rigorous evaluation process of the World Health Organization Pesticed Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES). The pyriproxifen is among the products approved by that committee and also is certified by ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency), which assesses the safety of the larvicide in Brazil.

Unlike the relationship between the Zika virus and microcephaly, which has had its confirmation attested in tests that indicated the presence of the virus in samples of blood, tissue and amniotic fluid, the association between the use of pyriproxifen and microcephaly has no scientific basis.Importantly, some localities that do not use pyriproxifen were also reported cases of microcephaly.

The Secretary of State of Rio Grande do Sul Health (SES / RS), as the local health authority, is empowered to use the product purchased and distributed the Ministry of Health or develop alternative strategies.

It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Health recommends only the use of larvicides in special situations where there is water storage need and deposits may not be physically protected.

It is important to remember that to eradicate the Aedes aegypti and all its potential breeding, the adoption of a routine is necessary with simple steps to eliminate containers that hold standing water. Fifteen minutes of inspection are enough to keep the environment clean. Little plates with plant pots, garbage cans, buckets, drains, gutters, bottles, tires and even toys can be the villains and serve as breeding grounds for mosquito larvae. Other individual protection initiatives can also complement the prevention of diseases such as the use of repellents and insecticides to the environment.

Check WHO report on the use of pyriproxifen:
http://www.who.int/whopes/quality/en...HO_jul2006.pdf

Although the evidence for Zika being the cause of microcephaly in Brazil continues to grow, the notion that this larvacide may be a factor is probably not going away anytime soon.

Posted by Michael Coston at 5:52 PM

**sharon sanders** · February 15, 2016, 08:31 AM

hat tip Ian Mackey

MONDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2016

Debugging the recent claim that Pyriproxyfen is the cause of microcephaly in Brazil...

I've copied the text below, in it's entirety, from the Science Media Exchange (Scimex; [4]) site run by the Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC). I asked A/Prof Batholomaeus if he would be opay with this and he was.

The AusSMC had asked for local expert opinion on the recent claims by some physicians from Argentina that a pesticide, Pyripyroxyfen, could be causing microcephaly rather than Zika virus (ZIKV).
As those who read me know, I'm also not convinced that Zika virus is causally linked. For what that's worth. But should better data appear, I will certainly support them here.

This pesticide issue is the latest outcry generated by people seeing two events occurring at the same time - microcephaly and Zika virus epidemic/genetically modified mosquitoes/Tdap vaccine use - as linked events rather than just as events that have co-occurred in time and space. Just coincidence. The only way to rule out coincidence is to do a lot of hard work - which takes time and patience. And is hopefully being done. As ever though, it would be great for more of that progress to be communicated publicly.

EXPERT REACTION:
Is a pesticide, not Zika virus, causing microcephaly?

Read other comments from https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/expe...g-microcephaly

Adjunct Professor Andrew Batholomaeus is a consultant toxicologist from the School of Pharmacy, University of Canberra and the Therapeutic Research Unit, School of Medicine, University of Queensland

"Pyriproxyfen is an insect growth regulator with a mechanism of action that is highly specific to insects. Pyriproxyfen is used on a wide variety of crops and is recommended by the WHO for addition to drinking water storage vessels to prevent the spread of deadly diseases such as malaria.

Studies in rats and rabbits have shown pyriproxyfen to have no reproductive or developmental effects at doses up to at least 100 mg per kg of body-weight every day. This intake would be equivalent to an average human female consuming 6 grams of the compound per day. The acceptable daily intake of pyriproxyfen set by the WHO is 100 micrograms per kg of body-weight per day for a lifetime.

This equates to approximately 6 mg per person per day. By contrast the WHO recommended addition of pyriproxyfen to drinking water storage is a maximum of 10 micrograms per litre which would deliver a daily dose of 20 micrograms. A microgram is one millionth of a gram. Thus, the intake of pyriproxifen in Brazil from treated drinking water is of the order of 300 times lower than the safe limit set by the WHO.

All of this information is readily available to any genuine scientist looking dispassionately at the potential causes of the Zika virus outbreak or the rise in malformations in Brazil. Also readily available is the knowledge that the use of pyriproxifen is driven by WHO recommendations and not the marketing activity of any multinational or other corporation.

The potential human health consequences of discouraging the use of pyriproxyfen in drinking water storage and other mosquito-reduction programs is catastrophic with potential deaths and serious disease from otherwise avoidable malaria, dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases numbered in at least the hundreds of thousands. If these reports and suggestions are motivated by anything other than ignorance and poor scholarship they are deserving of the most strident condemnation.

Journalists covering this story would do well to research the background of those making and reporting the claims as the underlying story and potential public health consequences may be far more newsworthy than the current headlines"

Further reading...

Pyriproxyfen in Drinking-water
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_...riproxyfen.pdf
PYRIPROXYFEN AS A MOSQUITO LARVICIDE
J.F. INVEST AND J.R. LUCAS
http://www.icup.org.uk/reports%5CICUP886.pdf
Pyripyroxyfen general fact sheet
National Pesticide Information Center , USA
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/pyriprogen.pdf
The science media exchange (Scimex)https://www.scimex.org/
Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC)
http://www.smc.org.au/

http://virologydownunder.blogspot.co...laim-that.html

Announcement

Argentine and Brazilian doctors name larvicide as potential cause of microcephaly - Rio Grande do Sul state bans pyriproxyfen larvicide spraying

Argentine and Brazilian doctors name larvicide as potential cause of microcephaly - Rio Grande do Sul state bans pyriproxyfen larvicide spraying

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