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General News Mosquito-born Zika virus 'spreading explosively'

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by BradThePug, Jan 29, 2016.

  1. BradThePug

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    More here
     
  2. imnotreallysure

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    Mosquitoes must die.
     
    #2 imnotreallysure, Jan 29, 2016
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  3. HuskyPup

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    Huh, seems to mainly affect babies, and not be really dangerous to adults.

    I guess it makes them get born with smaller heads. Then again, babies scare me, and one of the reasons is that they have such huge heads. So maybe smaller heads would be a plus, if not for the other problems.

    Perhaps as the earth heats up, and people keep growing in number, this is among natures way of keeping things in check. I feel bad for anyone who has to suffer because of this, but think we'll see more viruses popping up, as glaciers melt, and immunities to drugs increase.


    I was also thinking that with this nutty anti-vaccine crowd, that even with a vaccine, many wouldn't get it.

    And then you'll have screw-balls like Donald Trump, wanting to keep everyone from South America, Asia, and Africa out of the country...one can only imagine the paranoia this will create in the media. If Americans are good at one thing anymore, it's being scared of things.
     
    #3 HuskyPup, Jan 29, 2016
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  4. Bismuth

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    Actually, some researchers have been drawing links between Zika fever and Guillain–Barré syndrome, so there's a chance this disease can still be very dangerous for adults. The condition is very rare but it may become a bit more common as Zika spreads.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillain–Barré_syndrome
    Colombia, Venezuela report Zika links to Guillain-Barre syndrome - Health - CBC News
     
    #4 Bismuth, Jan 30, 2016
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  5. Browncoat

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    Yeah, this one (unlike most viruses the media tries to freak out about for the sake of ratings) is actually rather concerning. Really the only good thing about it is that it can only spread to places where the particular species of mosquito transmitting it exists...
     
    #5 Browncoat, Jan 30, 2016
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  6. Kasey

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    Mm mm.... Scaremongering during political season... Where have I seen this before...
     
  7. timo

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    Hmm. Last year ebola was going to kill us all, people said. Never believed any of that crap, and look who was right.

    I honestly don't care about this virus at all.
     
  8. Browncoat

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    It's not a "kill us all" thing by any means, as media always tries to claim. The virus itself can only be spread by mosquito, not at all contagious otherwise. Really the only danger it poses is to pregnant women, or rather the fetuses (correct plural??) of pregnant women. For adults it almost always just presents as a mild fever, but it is severely disabling for infected fetuses. The West has very good mosquito prevention methods so it's not likely to do much damage among 1st world countries, but it is a legitimate concern among tropical and subtropical climates elsewhere. Four thousand babies effected in Brazil if I recall - that's four thousand severely disabled children.
     
    #8 Browncoat, Jan 31, 2016
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  9. KyleD

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    Many people died and would have died from Ebola if drastic action was not taken. If people don't take this virus seriously it will become a worldwide pandemic.

    Scientist have found that the Zika Virus can also be transmitted by sexual intercourse so it's not just through mosquitos.
     
    #9 KyleD, Jan 31, 2016
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  10. Plattyrex

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    While this may not be a potential end of the world scenario, it does seem to be rather serious. We really shouldn't writing this off as just being something the media is trying to sensationalize.
     
  11. MCairo

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    This virus has been spreading fast in my country, but, for now, it seems to be only serious for pregnant women, who can have babies with microcephaly.

    Yeah there were cases of muscle paralysis but those were rare and it seems to occur with people with an already weak immune system and without access to good medical resources.

    One good thing is that it looks like people who have the virus can easily develop an immunity to it, so a vaccine might be on its way soon.
     
  12. AlamoCity

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    I talked to my mom yesterday and she said she went to the backyard and found some stagnated water and bleached the hell out of it :lol:.