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Discussion: Congenital birth defects and the Zika virus

[h=1]Frieden: All pregnant women in the United States must take precautions in all areas where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes live.

https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...cluster-and-cdc-arrives-to-help-august-1-2016

Geographic Distribution[/h]




zika_maps_statenames_graphic.jpg

*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.
...
http://www.cdc.gov/zika/vector/range.html


 
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)
...
http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/247197/1/zikasitrep4Aug2016-eng.pdf?ua=1
 
Please see:

Florida - Following new non-travel related Zika case in Palm Beach Co., Gov. Scott directs DOH and education leaders to partner on Zika preparedness


--------------------------------------


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.

I hope, hope the authorities can stop this.
 
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."
 
Sexual Transmission of Zika

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.?
Click to expand...

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:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_condom

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/female-condom
 
Even the perceived threat of Zika could raise birth defect rates with the aerial spraying they are doing in Florida.

http://www.livescience.com/5386-birth-defects-tied-season-conception.html
[h=1]Birth Defects Tied to Season of Conception[/h] 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...
Click to expand...
 
This is bad news:


Florida - Zika virus now spreading in Miami Beach, sources say

Here is the DoH report which does not specifically mention Miami Beach but does confirm 2 more local cases outside of the one square mile designated area in Miami-Dade. link


In my experience the beach area is not a prime area for mosquitoes. They have trouble flying in the wind and there is less swamp to provide the standing water that they thrive on. If mosquitoes in Miami Beach have infected people then...well...this is not good news for the inland areas.

Just sick about this..


Disclaimer: I am not an expert in mosquitoes. I have lived in Florida for over 30 years. I am not connected to the tourist industry.


and also this:

Florida - Governor confirms 9 areas being investigated where local Zika transmission may have occured in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties - August 18, 2016
 
Last edited:
[h=1]In Miami, Zika Fears Keep Mothers-to-Be Locked Inside[/h] [h=2]Many avoid outdoor activity over alarm the outbreak is spreading[/h]
http://www.wsj.com/articles/pregnant-miami-women-avoid-outdoors-over-zika-fear-1471617853


---------------------------------------------------------

I talked with my daughter again last night and this morning and we both still hope that the apparent outbreak in the Miami area was caused by the one month initial delay in recognizing the spread in the one mile square area as designated by the Florida DoH. We still both have hope that the current efforts will stop any more spread to the rest of Florida.

However, my daughter is still waiting to see what happens. Considering that humans are apparently a reservoir for the illness, and that it can be sexually transmitted, it is not a good sign for long term control. A safe and effective vaccine is probably 3 ish years away.

If my daughter decides to start a family she is going to work closely with her health provider to manage the risk.
 
Scott Weaver of the University of Texas Medical Branch, who chairs the Global Virus Network Zika Task Force...

"The one message that doesn't get out very often is even if you travel to an affected area and you are not at high risk like a pregnant woman and her partner, you can really have a significant impact on public health by protecting yourself from mosquito bites after you get back," he added.

That's because it takes a human being to carry the virus to a new area and to infect mosquitoes there. Mosquitoes don't infect one another ? they get infected by biting people.

...
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/zi...d-her-baby-she-doesn-t-want-it-happen-n634706
 
Tampa obstetrician has Zika warning for women: ?Delay getting pregnant?

News Channel 8 Reporter Melanie Michael
By Melanie Michael
Published: August 22, 2016, 8:33 pm Updated: August 23, 2016, 10:37 am

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) ? You know it?s serious when a well-known obstetrician is telling her patients not to get pregnant right now.

Dr. Jill Hechtman talks about babies all day, every day. These days, there?s also a warning she delivers daily. ?Never have I ever imagined that I would be telling a pregnant woman to use condoms,? Dr. Hechtman told WFLA.

The Tampa obstetrician doesn?t mince words with moms to be when it comes to the Zika virus. She tells them straight up ? if you?re of childbearing age, and you want to have a baby, don?t do it.
...
http://wfla.com/2016/08/22/tampa-ob...atients-women-of-childbearing-age-about-zika/
 
More from Sharon's link:
...
Maguire said her patients are concerned, but not panicked.

Many of them are following her strategy of staying indoors as much as possible.
...

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Aedes aegypti: an ?opportunistic? and tenacious menace
...
The mosquitoes can breed wherever rain collects or water is stored, with preference for outdoor breeding sites. Larvae have been found in a host of artificial containers, like discarded plastic cups and bottle caps, plates under potted plants, birdbaths, vases in cemeteries, and water bowls for pets. The mosquitoes can also breed in the microbial stew found in septic tanks, toilet tanks, and shower stalls. Construction sites, used tyres, and clogged rain gutters offer additional opportunities to breed in large numbers.

Laid eggs can survive for very long periods of time in a dry state, often for more than a year. Once submerged in water, they hatch immediately. If temperatures are cool, mosquitoes can remain in the larval stage for months so long as the water supply is sufficient. The eggs are sticky, virtually gluing themselves to the insides of containers. International trade in used tyres is the best documented vehicle for introducing the mosquito to distant places.

Females: aggressive biting and ?sneak attacks?

Aedes aegypti is an aggressive daytime biting mosquito. Only the females bite. Biting is most intense in the hours around dawn and dusk. Indoors, the mosquitoes can bite at night in well-lit homes. They are adept at hiding in closets and under beds. Adult mosquitoes of both sexes feed on sweet things, like nectar and fruit, but females need the protein in blood to develop their eggs.

Over the years, females have evolved to show distinct preferences: for human blood over that from other mammals, for shady resting places, for stagnant as opposed to fresh water, and for small artificial containers as the best place to lay their eggs, with this last preference extending to dark-coloured containers as opposed to lighter-coloured ones. Females often use ?sneak attacks?, approaching victims from behind and biting on ankles and elbows, which likely protects them from being noticed and getting slapped.

Aedes aegypti females are so-called ?sip feeders?. Instead of drawing sufficient blood for a meal in a single bite, they take multiple little sips during multiple bites, thus increasing the number of people a single mosquito carrying the virus can infect.

After a blood meal, females produce an average batch of 100 to 200 eggs, depending on the size of the blood meal. Unlike most other mosquito species, a female Aedes aegypti can produce up to 5 batches of eggs during her lifetime. As yet another survival tactic, a single female lays her batches of eggs at several different sites.

All of these features make Aedes aegypti populations extremely difficult to control. They also make the diseases they spread a much larger menace.
...
https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum...l-can-it-stop-zika-at-source-february-16-2016
 
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