Thursday, January 28, 2016

Zika isn't Ebola



The Obama administration wants us to know that Zika isn't Ebola.

While both viruses had a rapid spread, the Ebola virus can be fatal for anyone who becomes infected, while the Zika virus is most dangerous to women who are pregnant. Healthy, non-pregnant adults who contract the Zika virus will encounter symptoms like a "mild form of dengue fever," Earnest said.

To catch Ebola, you need to be in contact with someone who has it. To catch the Zika virus you just need to be bitten by a mosquito carrying it.

According to the World Health Organization, it's not the danger to the women, it's the danger to the fetus.

 Of particular concern, Dr. Chan said, are the cases of microcephaly, a rare condition in which infants are born with abnormally small heads that has been rising dramatically in Brazil as Zika spreads. Experts say it is too early to tell whether Zika is the cause of the condition, but there are some indications that the two are linked.

El Salvador has asked women not to get pregnant for the next two years because of fears of what kind of damage the virus can cause. I think that kind of response in the US would be an over-reaction, but it's still a good idea to be cautious...and bring back DDT.

No comments:

Post a Comment