Zika, a Formidable Enemy, Attacks and Destroys Parts of Babies’ Brains

NY Times ^ | AUG. 23, 2016 | PAM BELLUCK

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

ifinnegan :" Cherry picking at its’ finest."

Please don't shoot the messenger just because you don't like the message.
The information about Pinellas County Florida was sourced from a news article :

Florida announces Zika case hundreds of miles from Miami
www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-florida-idUSKCN10Y1OO

[exDemMom]

Thank you for that link.

17. Doctors say there’s no “smoking gun” that links Zika to microcephaly, but that all the evidence taken together indicates there’s an association.

An association alone means nothing. The mosquito larvicide was used to control the mosquitoes that, incidentally, happen to cause Zika, and the putative increase of microcephaly cases also occurred at the same time.

I would be investigating the larvicide and consider that a more likely suspect, because Zika has been known for decades and never associated with microcephaly. On the other hand, that particular larvicide has only been used for the last couple of years. That would account for the new observation of microcephaly cases (if, in fact, there is a common cause for them--which has not been established).

[ifinnegan]

I don’t think you understand what cherry picking means. I read the Radiology article the article is reporting on.

http://pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.1148/radiol.2016161584

If you know, can you provide the scientific article that shows the causation of microcephaly by Zika?

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Salvavida :" B.S. That is not science. It has not been confirmed."

Agreed, if your define 'science' is that which can be proven by duplication of all variables, and the results are always the same.
This is a news article about organic brain and developmental abnormalities of babies that have Zika and microcephaly; if you want science, go to the CDC, or Johns Hopkins, or MIT.

Salvavida :".. the majority of cases could not confirm Zika as the cause, so it could be something else.
Like say, agricultural toxins + degraded immune system + lack of nutritional supplementation
to offset the effects during the pre-embroyotic stage?"

Correct. Zika is present, or believed to be present in all these cases of microcephaly;
however, there are some cases where there is not yet lab tests proof positive of Zika exposure, but there are indications.
Yes, it is possible that "agricultural toxins + degraded immune system + lack of nutritional supplementation" could have contributed to the microcephaly.
Also, given the simple construct of viri RNA, the virus is susceptable to mutation on its own, as well as a result of external environmental conditions (ie agricultural toxins,
host degraded immune system, insufficinet nutritional supplement during gestation).
One such agricultural toxin used as an insecticide against mosquito larva has already been possibly identified, and its use curtailed by Brazilian authorities.

[Drago]

The microcephaly rate in the US normally runs about 1/100 of 1%...early data on Zika pregnancies in the US are showing a 4-5% rate of “birth defects” including microcephaly. So a much high chance of defects with a mother that has Zika.

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/childrens-hospital/health-info/diseases-conditions/hic-Microcephaly

http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/pregwomen-uscases.html

http://www.cdc.gov/zika/geo/pregnancy-outcomes.html

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

ifinnegan :" If you know, can you provide the scientific article that shows the causation of microcephaly by Zika?"

I am unaware of a specific scientific article that shows a definite cause/ effect relationship of Microcephaly to Zika.
Does that answer your specific question accurately ?

[montag813]

Of course Zika is “formidable.” It was engineered to be exactly that, as the NYT knows very well.

[ifinnegan]

Yes.

Thanks.

[Defiant]

Zika’s calamitous attack on the brains of babies

And that's how Democrat voters are made.

[Lera]

[[I just read of a mother in Pinellas County Florida, who never traveled outside the region, and her baby came down with Zika symptoms .
So it appears that Zika seems to be spreading via “travelers”. ]]

It’s popping up in various parts of Florida .
Lots of people travel through here and get bit by a mosquito who ends up biting someone else. It’s also suppose to be transmitted sexually so that out spread fast here .

I already know one person that was hospitalized for it and he never traveled either.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Lera :" It’s popping up in various parts of Florida .
Lots of people travel through here and get bit by a mosquito who ends up biting someone else.
It’s also suppose to be transmitted sexually so that out spread fast here"

Originally, Brazil thought that Zika was transmitted by only one type of mosquito; subsequent investigation indicates that they may have studied the wrong mosquito variety/ vector.
Yes , it can be spread sexually as the virus seems to last several months in the host male gonads.
There is still some question whether someone can get Zika, and then another mosquito variety bite that same host, and possibly pass it on to yet another host.
Much more is learned with each passing day.
The best protection seems to be to avoid needless outdoors activities, remain in air conditioned environment,
have screens on all windows, and use 30% DEET on clothing (never on exposed skin).