Possible epidemic spreading across the Americas

[SteveMSim 275]

An infection spread by mosquitoes is sweeping across the Americas and is threatening to become an epidemic.  The Zika virus causes symptoms including mild fever, conjunctivitis and headache, has already been found in 21 countries in the Caribbean, North and South America.  It has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains and several countries have advised women not to get pregnant.  No treatment or vaccine is available for the disease, which is now on the doorstep of the United States.

Zika virus: Outbreak 'likely to spread across Americas' says WHO

[Duke87 1,070]

Before everyone panics:

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The infection, which causes symptoms including mild fever, conjunctivitis and headache,

Okay, so it's like having pinkeye with a fever. Uncomfortable but hardly debilitating.

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Around 80% of infections do not result in symptoms.

Better yet, in most cases it's like not being sick at all!

 

There's only one thing that's actually a possible problem:

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But the biggest concern is the potential impact on babies developing in the womb. There have been around 3,500 reported cases of microcephaly - babies born with tiny brains - in Brazil alone since October.

So basically unless you're thinking about having a child in the near future there is no cause for concern right now.
 

[LexusInfernus 908]

7 hours ago, Duke87 said:

There's only one thing that's actually a possible problem:

So basically unless you're thinking about having a child in the near future there is no cause for concern right now.
 

Thats easier said than done. I mean, telling people not to get pregnant has always gone over so well. 

On top of that, can you imagine the demographic problems that would be created if people in those countries actually all stopped having babies in the next 2-3 years? That there would be schools where entire years worth of classes just don't exist? 

[Sabretooth78 808]

43 minutes ago, LexusInfernus said:

On top of that, can you imagine the demographic problems that would be created if people in those countries actually all stopped having babies in the next 2-3 years? That there would be schools where entire years worth of classes just don't exist? 

Probably not as severe as some of the demographic problems they're already facing.  Like every other situation, there is an opportunity cost.  /devilsadvocate

I think I heard about this when I was in the Caribbean last month, but not a whole lot.  Generally it's best to avoid getting bitten in the first place, which really isn't that difficult to do.  I probably get bitten more up here in a given week during the summer and we don't have a particular problem with them.  Not to mention, the good cold winter is a nice reset against problems such as these.

[LexusInfernus 908]

1 hour ago, Sabretooth78 said:

Probably not as severe as some of the demographic problems they're already facing.  Like every other situation, there is an opportunity cost.  /devilsadvocate

I think I heard about this when I was in the Caribbean last month, but not a whole lot.  Generally it's best to avoid getting bitten in the first place, which really isn't that difficult to do.  I probably get bitten more up here in a given week during the summer and we don't have a particular problem with them.  Not to mention, the good cold winter is a nice reset against problems such as these.

Yeah, but you live in the United States right? Musquitos there don't really carry these diseases. Also, South America is around the equator or below it. No cold winter there right now, just summer. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Nature has pulled out another plague now that there is some success with a malaria vaccine.  The minor problems like Zika will become more prominent as WHO works to eliminate the more serious diseases.  Some scientists have claimed that nature is conducting a vertebrate wipe-out.  This could certainly be a part of it.

Something to be said about living in the frozen north.  Here the mosquitoes are more likely to pick you up and carry you off.

[Sabretooth78 808]

3 hours ago, LexusInfernus said:

Yeah, but you live in the United States right? Musquitos there don't really carry these diseases. Also, South America is around the equator or below it. No cold winter there right now, just summer. 

Generally not, but the OP did use the term "doorstep of the US" and the article refers rather indiscriminately to the "Americas".

I also note that St. Martin is highlighted on the map so I was right about that.  Interestingly, with the exception of Puerto Rico and Barbados, it's all the French islands that seem to be afflicted.  (Look for it to hit Anguilla, Saba and St. Barth's next as the only way to easily access those islands is through St. Martin.)  My experience is that dengue and something else I can't remember the name of are still much greater concerns, though.  In that particular place, anyway.

During our trips we would stock up on (and bring home) this rather effective roll-on insect repellent.  It has a French name but I think it directly translates to Mosquito Milk.  It is ridiculously effective (beats the tar out of Off).  Pretty sure it has too much DEET or something to be legal for sale in the US - as with everything else you can buy down there that actually works.  (Imagine that you can actually buy aftershave lotion that doesn't have that vomit-inducing 'male' musky smell and isn't 20% rubbing alcohol - because that's what you want to apply to irritated skin apparently.)

[krbe 193]

3 hours ago, LexusInfernus said:

Yeah, but you live in the United States right? Musquitos there don't really carry these diseases. Also, South America is around the equator or below it. No cold winter there right now, just summer. 

They don't? The particular kind of mosquito is found in all American countries with the exception of Canada and Chile. So yes, the United States, which is an immensely enormous country, does have the required mosquitos to receive the disease. Remember, the United States didn't use to have Africanised honey bees either.

Oh, and while zika generally isn't threatening unless you're pregnant, the mosquitos also carry dengue fever, a nasty little disease there which can affect anyone.

[MintberryCrunch 83]

From what I hear, the disease itself isn't very lethal and most people recover; it's the teratogenic effects that are the problem. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

As one bacterium said to the other who was departing on a trip, "If you can't write, virus".  This little nasty could wipe us out.

[SteveMSim 275]

Unfortunately, new bugs will come out and threaten the human race since infectious diseases are one way nature deals with a species that has overpopulated its environment; in the case of humans, the entire planet Earth.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Depends on what you mean by new.  Y. Pestis is still around.  It is mostly handled by antibiotics if treated in time.  All those "eradicated" childhood diseases like pertussis are still there to catch the anti-vaccine bunch too.

Zika is interesting because it is probably a mutant of some other nasty thing that was more harmless.  This one seems to be able to attack the human foetus.  If it becomes endemic world wide, we could be in real trouble.

"Big bugs have little bugs upon their backs to bite 'em
"And these bugs have littler bugs, and so, ad infinitum."

[Sabretooth78 808]

15 hours ago, SteveMSim said:

Unfortunately, new bugs will come out and threaten the human race since infectious diseases are one way nature deals with a species that has overpopulated its environment; in the case of humans, the entire planet Earth.

Our propensity to live in an environment of our own waste certainly isn't helping us either.