Zika Virus St. Croix

The virus more than likely predates man. There would unlikely to be microcephaly cases in area where it was found based on endemic nature of virus and local population having immunity. Posted above was reports on microcephaly in French Polynesia as virus has moved out of native range.

What year was that? 2015 as Bret posted?
If microscopy is a recent occurrence in these new cases now happening, when it's been around since the 40's, I just wonder what changed.
Hopefully, we'll all fare well.
I've already had dengue, twice. Luckily, missed getting chikengunya.
Too bad having dengue doesn't give immunity to all other mosquito borne diseases.
Buy stock in bug spray and birth control.

... But the sensationalism is too over the top. No adult has ever died of the disease, 80% of people don't even get sick, and only two cases of sexual transmission from 100s of millions of cases. I think a single baby permanently disabled is too much but it doesn't help to make it sound like Ebola.

Couldn't agree more.

I agree. It is over the top about Zika. However, I look at it as an opportunity to get control of Aedes aegypti which has killed a lot of people through Dengue transmission. When the first world gets scared things will get done to benefit third world and us sandwiched somewhere in between the two.

However, I look at it as an opportunity to get control of Aedes aegypti which has killed a lot of people through Dengue transmission.

Annual deaths worldwide from dengue fever estimated at 22,000.
Annual deaths worldwide from snake bites estimated at 100,000.
Annual deaths worldwide from motor vehicle accidents estimated at 1.25 million.

Rather puts things into perspective.

However, I look at it as an opportunity to get control of Aedes aegypti which has killed a lot of people through Dengue transmission.

Annual deaths worldwide from dengue fever estimated at 22,000.
Annual deaths worldwide from snake bites estimated at 100,000.
Annual deaths worldwide from motor vehicle accidents estimated at 1.25 million.

Rather puts things into perspective.

More people have been killed by Aedes aegypti and the disease they are vectors for than all wars combined. Dengue isn't the mass killer that malaria is, but Aedes aegypti needs to be a footnote in history.

Zika came up in the republican presidential debate tonight. Both Christie and Carson said they would quarantine infected people. I was not surprised to hear that from Christie, but Carson is an MD. Wheat the hell?

In the meantime, "Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos said Saturday that there's no evidence Zika has caused any cases of the birth defect known as microcephaly in his country, though it has diagnosed 3,177 pregnant women with the virus."

Ho hum.

Zika came up in the republican presidential debate tonight. Both Christie and Carson said they would quarantine infected people. I was not surprised to hear that from Christie, but Carson is an MD. Wheat the hell?

Let all of the infected free. The mosquitoes need someone to bite to spread the virus, after all. Hard for mosquitoes to get to those quarantined people, isn't it?

We all sometimes forget (and not all newcomers know) about keeping ourselves and our immediate surroundings as mosquito-free as possible year-round. DPNR advises as follows:

http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-government/2016/02/06/dpnr-advises-residents-zika-virus

A friend who works at Marriott Frenchman's Reef stopped by to visit yesterday
and mentioned that Marriott has had over 200 cancellations since this Zika virus scare began. I'm sure it's not the only hotel being impacted.

OT, I HAD READ THAT TOO.

obama has just pledged 1.5 billion ( if i read correctly ) to try and combat this very small issue

1.8 billion.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/08/obama-asks-emergency-zika-funding/80002570/

I just don't get it ...

makes no sense to me, that money could be better used for more important issues

If my child was born with microcephaly because of Zika, I would think 1.8 billion would be a small price to pay to prevent another.

1.8 billion is just a spit in the ocean for the Fed. And then again it's not Obama's money. It's a taxpayer's money.

200 million people in brazil and 4000 cases of the disease that is linked, but not proven to have been caused by the mosquitoes that carry zika

the chances are a spit in the ocean of this even happening

yes-i still think that 1.8 billion would be better spent elsewhere where it would help a greater population