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Discussion: Congenital birth defects and the Zika virus
?All the evidence we have seen indicates that this is mosquito-borne transmission that occurred several weeks ago in several blocks in Miami,? said Tom Frieden...
"Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear." -Nelson Mandela
Dr. Frieden did not answer whether women should delay pregnancy.
For now..my daughter is waiting to see what happens in the next few months. Earlier this year she decided to wait until late Fall to decide. Nothing happening in the last few days has changed her plan.
As a disclosure - my family has no financial ties to the tourism industry.
We're located in Central North Carolina. We have A Aegypti, A. Albopictus, and some Culex mosquitoes here. Since early Spring, my family & a friend have been testing different mosquito repellents under different circumstances. We've also fitted the doors with mosquito-safe screens, and the dogs have spot-on coverage for mosquitoes. However, I was bitten in a changing room on an unsprayed part of my body at a local department store while trying on clothes, in another store when one flew down the front of my blouse, and I had 2 mosquitoes fly up my "skort" and bite. I don't see any way to totally avoid mosquito bites - short of bathing in mosquito repellent every few hours. That isn't going to happen. We'll be coming to Florida at Christmas for a "Celebration of Life" on Sanibel Island.
As expected there is controversy developing about the travel advice to Florida at this time.
First - I would like to say that when anyone travels anywhere they need to always review their medical conditions with their medical practitioners before travel. This is standard advice for all travel.
I can only relate what my family is doing. At this time, besides delaying pregnancy until late Fall, we are doing nothing else out of the ordinary.
I think some of the media reaction is based on exploitation of "bad" news. Also, some experts tend to downplay disease events based on their particular slant.
The reality is that we do not know yet what the overall effect will be in Florida.
It is a lifestyle in Florida to protect against, watch, and avoid mosquitoes. This is not new for residents or visitors.
It is more of the same disease concerns - but now one with a severe complication for pregnancy.
If you are planning to visit South Florida - as usual - consult your medical practitioner before you travel anywhere.
Always - if you are pregnant - follow your medical practitioners advice.
This is not a surprise. My family started to take action early this year and I publicly posted about it. Anyone who visits or lives in Florida knows about the mosquitoes here.
Florida - 10 new local Zika cases in Miami cluster - total 14 - CDC arrives to help - August 1, 2016
Geographic Distribution
*Maps have been updated from a variety of sources. These maps represent CDC's best estimate of the potential range of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in the United States. Maps are not meant to represent risk for spread of disease.
...
"Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear." -Nelson Mandela
I talked again to my daughter today about the latest information that has come out of South Florida. In fact, I told her that she is in this thread. lol She is ok with it. We are a real family dealing with this issue so she is willing to share her feelings. She is not a health care professional.
Anyway, she is hoping for the best.
Thank you to everyone who is on the front lines trying to eradicate this problem. We really appreciate it.
US has now been included in WHO report of August 4, 2016 in Cat 1:
Category 1: Countries
with a first reported
outbreak from 2015
onwards
...
AMRO/PAHO
Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Aruba; Barbados; Belize;
Bolivia (Plurinational State of), BONAIRE, SINT EUSTATIUS and
SABA ? Netherlands*; Brazil; Colombia; Costa Rica; Cuba; Cura?ao;
Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; French
Guiana; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guatemala; Guyana; Haiti;
Honduras; Jamaica; Martinique; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama;
Paraguay; Peru; Puerto Rico; Saint Barth?lemy; Saint Lucia; Saint
Martin; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Sint Maarten; Suriname;
Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos; United States of America;
United States Virgin Islands; Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
...
"Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear." -Nelson Mandela
My family is still waiting to see where this goes. I am not surprised by the new local case in a new neighboring county.
I think this is a nightmare for the tourist industry so I am sure the local and state governments are being pressed to do everything possible to eradicate the mosquitoes and the spread. This is big money at play here.
I believe Disney World in Orlando is the largest tourist destination in the US and is in Orange county. Here is a link to a map of the counties in Florida. Watching this is like waiting for a hurricane. You watch it approach for days not knowing exactly where it will hit.
Thanks to Michael Coston of Avian Flu Diary for the response:
1) Since you have lived in Florida for decades and are very familiar with that mosquito environment, what do think about the new local case that has been reported in Palm Beach County? Are you worried?
"The detection of a case outside of Miami is not a surprise, although we don't know right now where it was contracted. Sporadic cases are possible anywhere the Aedes mosquitoes can be found. The advice to protect against mosquito bites is worth following, even in areas where Zika is not circulating. West Nile Virus, EEE, and other arboviruses are always a threat during mosquito season."
2) What are you personally doing to "prep" for Zika?
"As far as preparing for Zika, I check my yard every few days for potential mosquito breeding places, and I use mosquito repellent when warranted. I also keep a bottle of DEET in my bug out bag."
In an article in the New York Times today (As New York Fights Zika Virus, Officials Turn Their Focus to Sex), the author reports on efforts to inform men and women about the potential of Zika infection through sexual transmission. New York City has now reported about 490 cases of Zika, about 25% of all Zika cases in the United States. Four of these cases are believed to have been contracted though sex.
?All men and women who travel to places where Zika is spreading are now told to either abstain from sex for at least eight weeks or use barrier protection ? even if they have no symptoms. Men with symptoms should either abstain from sex or use condoms for at least six months. Pregnant women who live where the disease is present or whose partners have been to a Zika zone should either have their partners use condoms or abstain from sex for the duration of the pregnancy, health officials say.?
It is important to point out that women can also obtain and use barrier protection to reduce the possibility of disease transmission and prevent unwanted pregnancy. The female condom can prevent pregnancy and reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases such as Zika. While a female condom can not prevent a Zika infections from infected mosquitoes, it is an additional option to avoid Zika infection through sexual contact and prevent a pregnancy in areas where Zika is now endemic.
Information on the female condoms is available on Wikipedia and the Planned Parenthood sites:
Spring and early summer is the nation's season of risk for conceiving a child with birth defects, a new study finds.
Birth Defects Tied to Season of Conception
By Robin Lloyd | April 1, 2009 06:41am ET
....
Spring and early summer is the nation's season of risk for conceiving a child with birth defects, the leading cause of infant mortality in the United States, a new study finds. The reason appears to be that the pesticide load is highest in the air, water and elsewhere from April through July, due to the agricultural growing season and increased pest control efforts in urban areas at that time, the researchers say.
They found that the birth defect rate was 3 percent higher for babies conceived in the April to June period than the other months of the year.
Birth defects affect one in every 33 babies (3 percent) born in this country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 22 defects studied are all fairly serious, ranging from cleft lip to deformities in the heart. For instance, about 1 in every 100 to 200 babies is born with a heart deformity, according to the CDC, and heart defects make up one third to one fourth of all birth defects...
"...there’s an obvious contest that’s happening between different sectors of the colonial ruling class in this country. And they would, if they could, lump us into their beef, their struggle." ---- Omali Yeshitela, African People’s Socialist Party
(My posts are not intended as advice or professional assessments of any kind.) Never forget Excalibur.
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