Community Chat

[Noel7]

A subject worthy of discussion.

The photos of microcephalic babies are heartbreaking.  Some countries are suggesting women put off having a child for two years.

There has already been a case in California.

[JustJazzmom]

According to tonight's newscast there are 7 cases in NY now. 

[Noel7]

Several sources say the outbreaks in different parts of the world will be explosive.

Odd that it's begun here already, it was said it would happen with warm weather.

[elainemasey]

And a confirmed case in Massachusetts.

[Kachina624]

These diseases that seemingly come out of nowhere and have catastrophic results are very scary indeed.   Can you imagine telling all the women in a third world country not to get pregnant for two years? 

My own family was touched by West Nile Virus when my mom died of it in 2003.  We're  out here in the desert but my parents lived on a golf course about 100 yards from a pond where the water was not being aerated.   I live about 1 mile away and never have mosquitos. 

[Dell1]

Does it matter how far a woman is along for this to be an issue?  I have just started seeing news stories on this but don't know many details.

[JustJazzmom]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

These diseases that seemingly come out of nowhere and have catastrophic results are very scary indeed.   Can you imagine telling all the women in a third world country not to get pregnant for two years? 

My own family was touched by West Nile Virus when my mom died of it in 2003.  We're  out here in the desert but my parents lived on a golf course about 100 yards from a pond where the water was not being aerated.   I live about 1 mile away and never have mosquitos. 

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These diseases are occuring with more notice due to the mobility of people in society today. We take planes all over the world and in the years before plane travel, it took longer for these diseases specific to a geographic area to spread.

Mosquitos very rarely travel for miles from where they are hatched. They hitch rides on people, clothing, luggage and travel that way.

[Noel7]

Kachina, I'm so sorry about your mom, how awful for you.

I've read Zika is thought to have originated in Uganda.  Several years ago I read about and heard PBS radio reports interviewing scientists who predicted a lot of deadly viruses would come out of certain areas of the world because of deforestation.  Often because the animals carrying it had to leave their usual areas where they had found food.  I don't know if that holds true for all we've seen, but it makes sense.

[JustJazzmom]

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@Dell1 wrote:

Does it matter how far a woman is along for this to be an issue?  I have just started seeing news stories on this but don't know many details.

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That is my question too as to when this disease crosses the placenta and at what stage in the pregnancy. Is it able to be detected in the first trimester? I think the questions are still being asked and info is coming about this soon.

A vaccine is going to be in the works by the NIH but again this is going to take time.

Some excellent articles are in the NYTs either from yesterday or today that address this issue in 2 articles that I read this AM there.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/health/what-is-zika-virus.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepa...

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/nyregion/new-york-city-officials-address-rise-in-cases-of-zika-vir...

[Noel7]

@Dell1

Hi Dell, I haven't seen a report on that.