Zika Virus

[LovelyLadyLux]

We've had lots of alerts and warnings re: Zika virus that is transmitted via a specific Aedes (sp) Mosquito. The virus causes encephaly in babies and poses a very serious risk to pregnant women. We've now had 2 women here in Canada test positive for this virus so alerts are flying that pregnant women should NOT be travelling to countries where this virus is found. It generates from Brazil and is being found in the tropical climates.

Are they putting out similar alerts in your area?

[Horus]

It is on the news quite a lot.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Same here. Alerts are going out quite regularly about this. No vaccine for it yet either. Can imagine it would be really quite tragic for a Mom to get bitten and have the baby detrimentally influenced. That Mom and Dad would carry the guilt for a lifetime that they travelled to this area (probably on holiday, possibly as a quick get away prior to a birth) and then contracted this virus.

Pretty awful for the parents. They'd never forgive themselves the guilt.

[Jayway]

Family planning ... wonder who invented this one . . . and yes they are saying we have it in Portugal.

[Mad Dilys]

I heard that they are using a form of family planning for the mosquitoes which are intermediate hosts for the disease.

They have genetically tweaked male and female mosquitoes so that they don't live very long and their chances of spreading the disease are dramatically cut. I'll see if I can find a written comment somewhere about this.

PS. Here's a link http://www.popsci.com/genetically-modif ... ighborhood

In the case of the Dengue study the offspring of the mutated mossies are born crippled and cannot reproduce. Dengue is another vile disease with a similar place in the world affected.

PPS Don't know what happened to my grammar today, hope the above is readable at least.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I hope they are introducing family planning for these mosquitoes. I remember bring in Trinidad and having the Inspectors go through all the yards making sure there were absolutely NO containers of water anywhere - not a vase of flowers, not a water dish for a dog as a means of preventing dengue. NOT a NICE one at all!

Our TV is going great guns these past couple of days warning everybody here NOT to go anywhere because of the Zika virus. We apparently have 4 people here infected - one 90 yr old man in Quebec, some other elderly person somewhere plus 2 more. Changed the channel to watching the History channel as our News channel is now starting to interview all the people who have tried to cancel their trips and are finding the airlines won't let them AFTER the TV News urged them to do this.....

Course our TV News is now also saying there 'might' be an emergency vaccine. (Not uncommon here for our news to blurt out anything and then change the story a day later and/or just stop talking about it)

[Horus]

I saw one UK report that British men were advised to wear a condom for a couple of months after returning from any such infected country as it may be sexually transmitted from them to their pregnant partner.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Haven't heard that one yet but they're definitely beat the Zika virus drum here big time and showing photos of babies who have been exposed. Definitely looks to have a terrible impact on a fetus so truly all women of child bearing years definitely have something serious to be concerned about.