Zika Impact

[NormC]

Exactly. My mom says the only people who should be worried about Zikka are pregnant women.

And even that link hasn't been proven.

 

[SorcererMC]

And even that link hasn't been proven.

You must be joking. Do you really think that the WHO/PAHO, CDC and other public health officials are spreading false information just to scare pregnant women and the American public? There is no conspiracy here.

 

[Matt_Black]

You must be joking. Do you really think that the WHO/PAHO, CDC and other public health officials are spreading false information just to scare pregnant women and the American public? There is no conspiracy here.

That's not what's being said. The issue is that while some women have had pregnancy complications while infected with the Zika virus, correlation does not necessarily equal causation.

 

[NormC]

You must be joking. Do you really think that the WHO/PAHO, CDC and other public health officials are spreading false information just to scare pregnant women and the American public? There is no conspiracy here.

I am not joking. There was a small increase in microcephaly cases in Brazil and Zika is one theory. Definitive research has not been completed. WHO etc. are just being cautious. Do you have a link to any peer reviewed research proving a link yet?

 

[SorcererMC]

That's not what's being said. The issue is that while some women have had pregnancy complications while infected with the Zika virus, correlation does not necessarily equal causation.

It is being implied:

Paranoia, the destroyer.........

And even that link hasn't been proven.

I have said myself that correlation does not equal causation! But the current medical research/ evidence (since the CDC decision) continues to mount regarding the effects of Zika virus for pregnant women and babies infected in utero.

 

[SorcererMC]

I am not joking. There was a small increase in microcephaly cases in Brazil and Zika is one theory. Definitive research has not been completed. WHO etc. are just being cautious. Do you have a link to any peer reviewed research proving a link yet?

New England Journal of Medicine 7 July 2016 on the risks of microcephaly based on prior outbreaks, including all of the caveats on the conclusions that can be drawn
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1605367

Edit: NEJM 19 May 2015 on Reviewing the Evidence of Causality
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsr1604338#t=article

 

[NormC]

New England Journal of Medicine 7 July 2016 on the risks of microcephaly based on prior outbreaks, including all of the caveats on the conclusions that can be drawn
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1605367

Thank you for that. It agrees with what I have been saying.

 

[SorcererMC]

Thank you for that. It agrees with what I have been saying.

. They also definitively conclude that there is a causal relationship based on the available evidence.

 

[NormC]

Possibly not definitively, caution is a good thing but media driven paranoia is not.

There are uncertainties and limitations with all current estimates of microcephaly risk associated with ZIKV infection. First, available data are very limited, especially in recently affected areas such as Bahia, where infection rates are unknown and microcephaly cases are still being reported and evaluated. The limited information on ZIKV infection rates is compounded by difficulty in the clinical confirmation of microcephaly, as evidenced by low confirmation rates in the independent, temporary microcephaly reporting system established by Brazil in late 2015. Carefully designed serosurveys and data from other locations can help in refining these estimates.

 

[King Racoon 77]

And even that link hasn't been proven.

That's not what's being said. The issue is that while some women have had pregnancy complications while infected with the Zika virus, correlation does not necessarily equal causation.

I am not joking. There was a small increase in microcephaly cases in Brazil and Zika is one theory. Definitive research has not been completed. WHO etc. are just being cautious. Do you have a link to any peer reviewed research proving a link yet?

Please stop using logic and reason it has no place here ...

 

[SorcererMC]

Possibly not definitively.

No.
From the same NEJM article:
To determine whether Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes these adverse outcomes, we evaluated available data using criteria that have been proposed for the assessment of potential teratogens. On the basis of this review, we conclude that a causal relationship exists between prenatal Zika virus infection and microcephaly and other serious brain anomalies

 

[NormC]

From the same article:

There are uncertainties and limitations with all current estimates of microcephaly risk associated with ZIKV infection. First, available data are very limited, especially in recently affected areas such as Bahia, where infection rates are unknown and microcephaly cases are still being reported and evaluated. The limited information on ZIKV infection rates is compounded by difficulty in the clinical confirmation of microcephaly, as evidenced by low confirmation rates in the independent, temporary microcephaly reporting system established by Brazil in late 2015. Carefully designed serosurveys and data from other locations can help in refining these estimates.

So again as I said caution is good but we do not need media driven paranoia until a link has been proven when current research is completed. I have not said it was not possible.

 

[SorcererMC]

From the same article:

I won't go on a merry-go-round on this. If you do not believe the conclusions that have been reached by the CDC and WHO and the medical community, that is your choice and you are free to do so.

 

[NormC]

I am only quoting the actual Perspective from the NEJM. You only chose to read what suits you. Feel free to continue.
Caution is good. Media hype however is not productive.

 

[NormC]

Here is an actual study (not a perspective) that shows a causal link:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00203-016-1268-7

They even say more research is needed.

 

[Sassagoula-Rvr]

Wow, I leave on vacation and a little old thread totally takes off. I saw today they are up to 22 in that Miami neighborhood. Still not panic inducing but cause for concern...especially because I'm guessing "mosquito season" is much longer in FL. Doubt it gets very far north as fall will be setting in soon.

I also read an article where a doctor talked about how much more scary it is for men...since they have no clue how long it sticks around in men!

 

[21stamps]

Here is an actual study (not a perspective) that shows a causal link:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00203-016-1268-7

They even say more research is needed.

I won't go on a merry-go-round on this. If you do not believe the conclusions that have been reached by the CDC and WHO and the medical community, that is your choice and you are free to do so.

What you are talking about is why Zika is so frightening...from a panic standpoint, much more than where someone chooses to vacation.

I mentioned earlier in this thread that being infected does not equal birth defects or miscarriage. Out of all of the studies so far we have learned that there has been defects and there has been miscarriages. How can a study know for sure if an early miscarriage was due to the virus? We've also learned that there have been several healthy babies born..which is still the majority, from everything I have read.

Precaution and awareness is extremely important. To pass information that could lead to all pregnant women thinking that their fetus is doomed is extremely dangerous. If women infected choose to terminate a pregnancy in an early stage, solely because of the virus, we could be preventing so many children from being born. This is not a Pro Life/Pro Choice discussion...purely one on what kind of horrid impact that out of control panic could have on our society.

 

[SorcererMC]

Precaution and awareness is extremely important. To pass information that could lead to all pregnant women thinking that their fetus is doomed is extremely dangerous

This is in fact why I respond to misinformation that was posted earlier. I've even gone so far as to correct myself in this thread! since more information on Zika virus and its effects is becoming available, and I can't possibly monitor every day.

There are aspects of the Zika virus effects that are 1. unknown and 2. known but unseen. One of the tragedies is that pregnant women may have additional stress/fear in what is otherwise a joyous time (and they should be counseled by their doctors). I don't believe that a child that may have been exposed in utero to Zika virus is 'doomed' as you say, but I do think that women/families should know what to expect, in terms of looking out for other neurological effects such as developmental disabilities or seizure disorders (which is manageable from a healthcare perspective but comes with its own challenges; I'm speaking from some personal experience here).

 

[SorcererMC]

Here is an actual study (not a perspective) that shows a causal link:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00203-016-1268-7

They even say more research is needed.

Great! So glad you found a medical journal article that suits your needs.

 

[thomas998]

Well the "official" number of domestic born cases of Zika in Florida just hit 28... 3 from outside the supposed containment area... Of course the officials wont say where they all are... Which then begs the question since the officials are being so forthcoming with information... How many people are really infected in Florida? Odds are always very high that not everyone sick will be reported because some people will not go to a doctor.

I wonder how long until the virus gets out of "control".