Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
CDC Director on Fighting Zika: ?There Is So Much That We Need To Do?
Alexandra Sifferlin @acsifferlin 12:05 PM ET
Researchers are working on the connection between Zika and microcephaly. Has a lot been learned in the last month?
Absolutely. Every day we are learning more about this virus and how it is currently behaving. I think we can say that the link between Zika and Guillain-Barr? looks strong and would not be at all surprising. We?ve seen similar post-infection complications after many different infections, including some that are quite similar to Zika.
...
We currently have about 500 people working on this response at the CDC. This is a big challenge; it is extraordinarily unusual to identify a new cause of a birth defect, and as far as we know, it?s unprecedented to [find] a mosquito borne cause of a birth defect....
We are also now certain that sexual transmission is possible
...
What kind of evidence are you seeing that makes the connection with microcephaly stronger?
We were able to see the actual virus in the brain tissue of infants who had died of microcephaly, and the reaction of the body made it clear that this was a virus that was causing serious problems to the infant.
...
One thing that many people are thinking about is whether a prior infection with dengue predisposes a pregnant woman to have this complication, but there is zero evidence for that either. We need to learn more. This is a very unusual situation.
....
What are you seeing in terms of cases of Zika reported in the United States?
We really do expect that there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of travel-associated cases in the U.S. There are more than 40 million travelers in the U.S. to Zika-affected countries every year... We also have cases officially reported from the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. We do know of pregnant women who became infected with Zika while traveling who are in the U.S. now. The bottom line for most Americans is if you?re pregnant, don?t travel to Zika-affected areas...
Of the cases in Puerto Rico, have there been any cases of microcephaly?
No, and we would not expect any at this point. We assume that infections in the first trimester or early second trimester are the ones most likely to cause this malformation, and they wouldn?t be due yet, so to speak. We have, however, seen Guillain-Barr? cases both in Puerto Rico and in the continental U.S., and we have seen miscarriages as well. There is a strong association between Zika infection and specific Zika virus presence in the placenta and miscarriage.
...
http://time.com/4230985/zika-virus-cdc-microcephaly/
Alexandra Sifferlin @acsifferlin 12:05 PM ET
Researchers are working on the connection between Zika and microcephaly. Has a lot been learned in the last month?
Absolutely. Every day we are learning more about this virus and how it is currently behaving. I think we can say that the link between Zika and Guillain-Barr? looks strong and would not be at all surprising. We?ve seen similar post-infection complications after many different infections, including some that are quite similar to Zika.
...
We currently have about 500 people working on this response at the CDC. This is a big challenge; it is extraordinarily unusual to identify a new cause of a birth defect, and as far as we know, it?s unprecedented to [find] a mosquito borne cause of a birth defect....
We are also now certain that sexual transmission is possible
...
What kind of evidence are you seeing that makes the connection with microcephaly stronger?
We were able to see the actual virus in the brain tissue of infants who had died of microcephaly, and the reaction of the body made it clear that this was a virus that was causing serious problems to the infant.
...
One thing that many people are thinking about is whether a prior infection with dengue predisposes a pregnant woman to have this complication, but there is zero evidence for that either. We need to learn more. This is a very unusual situation.
....
What are you seeing in terms of cases of Zika reported in the United States?
We really do expect that there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of travel-associated cases in the U.S. There are more than 40 million travelers in the U.S. to Zika-affected countries every year... We also have cases officially reported from the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. We do know of pregnant women who became infected with Zika while traveling who are in the U.S. now. The bottom line for most Americans is if you?re pregnant, don?t travel to Zika-affected areas...
Of the cases in Puerto Rico, have there been any cases of microcephaly?
No, and we would not expect any at this point. We assume that infections in the first trimester or early second trimester are the ones most likely to cause this malformation, and they wouldn?t be due yet, so to speak. We have, however, seen Guillain-Barr? cases both in Puerto Rico and in the continental U.S., and we have seen miscarriages as well. There is a strong association between Zika infection and specific Zika virus presence in the placenta and miscarriage.
...
http://time.com/4230985/zika-virus-cdc-microcephaly/