CDC confirms Zika is causing birth defects
Aedes aegypti mosquito
(CNS): The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that scientific evidence has linked the Zika virus to microcephaly and other fetal brain defects. In a statement to the international press on Wednesday, the CDC said their study revealing the link, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks a turning point in the Zika outbreak.
“It is now clear that the virus causes microcephaly,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden. “We are also launching further studies to determine whether children who have microcephaly born to mothers infected by the Zika virus is the tip of the iceberg of what we could see in damaging effects on the brain and other developmental problems.”
Having confirmed what the mounting evidence had suggested, officials reiterated the need for pregnant women and their partners to take steps to avoid Zika infection.
Cayman currently remains one of the few places in the region where the virus has not yet been reported but public officials here have been quick to react to its probable arrival, given the transient nature of the resident population.
The Mosquito Research and Control Unit (MRCU) is engaging in a full-scale mosquito spraying exercise, but as Zika is spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which lives and breeds in more urban environments, officials here are urging the public to be vigilant in preventing the accumulation of any standing water in and around their yards to help prevent the spread of Zika if does arrive in Cayman
The CDC said the finding that Zika virus infection can cause microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects means that a woman who is infected with Zika during pregnancy has an increased risk of having a baby with these health problems. It does not mean, however, that all women who have Zika virus infection during pregnancy will have babies with problems.
Category: Health, Medical Health
So beautiful how god has created the world.
At least we know now that the mosquito is the culprit — and not vaccine experimentation as some poster conjectured in regard to an earlier story.
The Zika Virus is the culprit.
This could explain the 98%
The last time I looked the Cayman Islands were not part of the U.S.A.
The first paragraph should therefore indicate that the CDC is a foreign body: i.e. “The U.S. Center for Disease Control…..”
By omitting that categorisation a reader might be led to think Cayman has yet another Government Department like DOE, DOEH, etc etc.
CNS: Yes, OK, I’ll go with that.
Strangely, nothing at airport on Zika, no questionnaires or scrutiny of the health of arriving passengers – including those from afflicted neighbouring countries. We shouldn’t pretend this isn’t a regional concern we want to keep out. We can do better.
Anonymous at 11:35 — are we suggesting a blood test for arriving passengers? There are few countries that have no reported imported or locally transmitted cases. What cayman has to concentrate on — you and me — is to avoid the breeding of our prevalent Aedes aegypti that love little water-filled receptacles. Everyone should check around their yards for open containers and empty, clean, cover or turn them over. That is the best defence. Screening of every passenger would be expensive. The other problem is that we do not yet have reliable tests. And what is more, apparently some infected persons were unaware that they had been infected — the intensity of symptoms can vary.
Considering there are a million tires in Mt. Trashmore, all collecting water, perhaps they could be repurposed to make Ovillantas http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canadian-researchers-mosquito-trap-offers-hope-in-fight-against-zika/article29569918/
The Virus will arrive inside an infected person, so why not, at the very least, ask incoming travelers from infected areas how they are feeling and whether they have had any of the symptoms during the previous days or weeks. If yes, they should be offered a free blood test, and invited to take extra precautions until they are all clear. Basic education on habitat and transmission would be much better than doing nothing if we want Cayman to stay clear.
And the Republicans are blocking funding to fight the spread of Zika across America.