Zika - now that it is in the US it seemed like we could have a thread

When I apply for Canadian citizenship, in the box that says "Reason for Application", I'm just going to write in "Trump and Zika."

Good thing Congress passed funding to deal with Zika before they took off from DC until the middle of September. Oh, wait. They didn't.

The last Zika funding bill got voted down because Congressional Republicans decided they needed to tack bullsh*t riders onto the bill, like language that barred Planned Parenthood from providing contraceptive services to fight Zika, and decided that we should pay for the emerging health crisis by cutting $750 million existing health care programs, like the ACA and the ebola response.

Wasn't Washington DC built on a swamp? How are the mosquitoes there?

Mosquitoes are all over DC, MD, VA, NC, PA, DE... Pretty much everywhere, all summer. We also have multiple types including tiger mosquitoes.

Robear wrote:

Mosquitoes are all over DC, MD, VA, NC, PA, DE... Pretty much everywhere, all summer. We also have multiple types including tiger mosquitoes.

Because I must.

46 Cases of Zika Virus Reported in Illinois, Health Officials Say

Pregnant women are among nearly four dozen cases of the Zika virus reported in Illinois, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Thursday.
The department reported 46 total cases of the virus statewide, with eight women listed in the Zika Virus Pregnancy Registry.

Viral thread?

Concave wrote:

Viral thread?

*slowclap.gif*

Florida Governor Confirms Zika Transmission In Miami Beach

Florida officials said on Friday they have identified a new area of Zika virus transmission through local mosquitoes in a small area in Miami Beach, the second area in Miami-Dade county where the Zika virus is spreading.

Florida Governor Rick Scott said state health officials have identified five cases of Zika believed to be contracted in Miami Beach.

“This means we believe we have a new area where local transmissions are occurring in Miami Beach,” he said, noting that the state had already stepped up pesticide spraying efforts in this area.

Funny how it was front page news everywhere when it was in Brazil but now it is kind of ignored.

farley3k wrote:

Florida Governor Confirms Zika Transmission In Miami Beach

Florida officials said on Friday they have identified a new area of Zika virus transmission through local mosquitoes in a small area in Miami Beach, the second area in Miami-Dade county where the Zika virus is spreading.

Florida Governor Rick Scott said state health officials have identified five cases of Zika believed to be contracted in Miami Beach.

“This means we believe we have a new area where local transmissions are occurring in Miami Beach,” he said, noting that the state had already stepped up pesticide spraying efforts in this area.

Funny how it was front page news everywhere when it was in Brazil but now it is kind of ignored.

Who's ignoring it? It's one of the top stories on most major news sites.

Who's ignoring it? It's one of the top stories on most major news sites.

Congress

Stengah wrote:

Who's ignoring it? It's one of the top stories on most major news sites.

I would say the news coverage today is dwarfed by how it was covered when the story first broke about Brazil. Perhaps I am remembering wrong but I think it was a lot bigger.

karmajay wrote:
Who's ignoring it? It's one of the top stories on most major news sites.

Congress

I wouldn't say they've ignored it so much as Republicans sabotaged a bill to fund fighting it by adding language to reduce funding for Planned Parenthood, defund parts of the ACA, and allow the Confederate flag to be flown at veterans' cemeteries.

farley3k wrote:
Stengah wrote:

Who's ignoring it? It's one of the top stories on most major news sites.

I would say the news coverage today is dwarfed by how it was covered when the story first broke about Brazil. Perhaps I am remembering wrong but I think it was a lot bigger.

My recollection was that most of those stories were about what it is and why it's a problem. People haven't stopped caring, but all that's really left to report on is its spread.

Well this is an unfortunate observation, if true..

Zika may cause brain damage in adults.

Florida Finds Local Zika Case Hundreds Of Miles Away From Miami

Florida officials on Tuesday announced the first case of Zika acquired by local mosquitoes in Pinellas County, located some 265 miles (425 km) from Miami, where the first locally transmitted U.S. cases were reported.

Florida Governor Rick Scott also said there were four new cases of Zika transmission in the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami, where officials have been aggressively spraying for the mosquitoes that carry the virus for weeks.

The state department of health has begun door-to-door outreach in Pinellas County, testing individuals to find other cases, Scott said in a statement. He added that mosquito abatement and reduction activities are also taking place.

Pinellas County is home to St. Petersburg, a popular tourist destination.

While I'm concerned to a certain extent, largely because I have family in Tampa, I force myself to remember Zika is the crisis of the moment. West Nile Virus can have some pretty terrible effects and is similarly transmissible, and hasn't become a major, major problem.

There are more than twice as many pregnant women in the US and Territories this year with Zika-positive tests (around 860) as there are reported West Nile cases in the US (301). Zika is known in just three small areas, while West Nile is present in 43 states.

Edit - And I'm sorry that that is not more reassuring...

South Carolina Just Annihilated Millions of Bees By Accident

To prevent Zika-infected mosquitoes from taking root in South Carolina, officials in Dorchester County gave the go-ahead to spray a powerful insecticide over the countryside. The effort resulted in the unexpected deaths of millions of bees at a time when these critical pollinators are struggling worldwide.

As reported in the Washington Post, parts of Dorchester County were sprayed on Sunday morning with a common pesticide, called Naled, that kills mosquitoes on contact. Unfortunately, it does the exact same thing to bees. Normally, this pesticide is sprayed by trucks, but given the urgency surrounding Zika, county officials decided, in their infinite wisdom, to spray Naled from the air—something that had never been done before in South Carolina.

f*cking hell. Idiots.

You literally reap what you sow... Any estimates on how this will affect late-season crops? I imagine this will have an actual economic effect.

You can ignore science up to a point, then it snaps back on you.

Quick, everyone: BUY HONEY FUTURES!

Zika found in mosquitoes in Miami Beach

* I guess up to this point humans were found to have it but not mosquitoes

Mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus have been identified in Miami Beach, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said Thursday.

It's the first finding of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in the continental United States.
The three mosquito samples that tested positive were from the area in Miami Beach that was previously identified as an area of local transmission. Ninety-five other samples tested negative, according to the department.
"This is disappointing but not surprising," said Adam Putnam, the Florida commissioner of agriculture.