Rolling pandemic disease thread, inaugural 2016 edition

Other horsemen of the apocalypse have their own rolling threads, its time that Pestilence, rider of the white horse, gets his own.

too many other things to be worried about imho

Shall we begin:

Zika Virus May Have Spread To Common Mosquito

They say they are as little as a month away from confirming that the virus is also being carried and transmitted by the much more common Culex mosquito.

There are 20 times more Culex mosquitos in existence as the Aedes aegypti and they are significantly more widespread - breeding throughout most of the Americas, parts of Africa and Asia - so increasing the chances of the virus spreading.

You won't have too many other things to worry about after the run on DEET.

Zika virus may be linked to surge in rare syndrome in Brazil

Disease specialists in Brazil say the virus may also be causing a surge in another rare condition, known as Guillain-Barré, a potentially life-threatening syndrome in which a person’s immune system attacks part of the nervous system, leaving some patients unable to move and dependent on life support.

Our scientists are hard at work.

Zika virus: US scientists say vaccine '10 years away'

"It's now in our doorstep in Mexico," said Prof Vasilakis, who is based on Galveston Island which looks out across the Gulf of Mexico.
"About 25 to 30 million people are at risk of exposure here in the southern United States if we have a local transmission of Zika," he added.

Has it been determined yet whether Zika requires an insect vector in order to spread, or can it be spread by human-to-human contact?

There is some evidence that Zika can be transmitted through saliva and semen although this does not appear to be common.

Yet another reason to go live in a fishing shack beside Great Slave Lake in Canada.

Canada and Chile the only countries in the Americas that won't be affected according to some new report I saw yesterday.

Asinine angle to look at this from, but I wonder what the economic impact vis-à-vis tourism will be on the areas affected.

U.S. Case of Zika Infection Transmitted by Sex Reported in Texas

The Dallas County Health and Human Services Department reported that a patient with Zika virus was infected after having sex with an ill individual who had returned from Venezuela, where Zika is circulating.

Zika Virus Sound-Alike, Zica Car of India, Is to Get a New Name

Tata appeared to place big hopes on the Zica — a word derived from the words zippy and car — even enlisting one of the world’s biggest soccer stars, Lionel Messi, as a pitchman.

Yikes.

On the bright side, it will be a good year for netting, bug-zapper, and condom manufacturers.

UN health chief: Zika virus is spreading explosively

For those of you in more temperate climates, consider clearing your environs of old tires and upright pots that might collect rain and offer mosquito breeding grounds.

The United States Olympics Committee has suggested that athletes and support staff should consider skipping the 2016 Rio Games if they fear contracting the Zika virus.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-usa-olympics-exlusive-idUSKCN0VH0BJ

lol "if they fear"

Microcephaly may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Can you describe the different kinds of birth defects you’re seeing?

We’re seeing a spectrum. Many have fairly severe central nervous system lesions. There are also a lot of calcium deposits. … Those can cause seizures and cause impairment in terms of function for the brain.

We’re also seeing that in some babies, the brains, which usually have wrinkles, are actually smooth. That’s a sign that development of the brain has been impaired. Several of them are also impaired with respect to vision and hearing.

What else are you finding?

It seems like microcephaly may just be the tip of the iceberg. The preliminary evidence is that (some) babies who don’t have microcephaly may also have neurological lesions or birth defects that are not as obvious as microcephaly.

Damn.

Zika May Increase Risk of Mental Illness, Researchers Say

Even infants who appear normal at birth may be at higher risk for mental illnesses later in life if their mothers were infected during pregnancy, many researchers fear.

The Zika virus, they say, closely resembles some infectious agents that have been linked to the development of autism, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

“The consequences of this go way beyond microcephaly,” said Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, who directs the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University.

Among children in Latin America and the Caribbean, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a big upswing in A.D.H.D., autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia,” he added. “We’re looking at a large group of individuals who may not be able to function in the world.”

Good news, Miami! Sotosyn and I met up here last night.

http://wlrn.org/post/local-transmission-zika-mosquitoes-confirmed-miami-dade-county

great chance for journalists to use one of my favorite medical words: "autochthonous"

Federal health officials suggested Friday that pregnant women and their partners postpone travel to Miami-Dade County.

Gov. Rick Scott said the authorities had identified five cases of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in Miami Beach, adding a second active Zika zone.

a case of dengue fever found in Miami-Dade Co.

well how comforting

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a49346/hurricane-matthew-zika/

Zika no longer a public health emergency, WHO declares

http://badnewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/methERIKKOLLOEN.jpg

sounds legit

Does anyone know if India has any risk of Zika? I can't find it on any lists of affected areas.

Mostly a Latin America and Florida risk. For travel to India, worry about Chikungunya.

Deadly superbug just got scarier—it can mysteriously thwart last-resort drug