Category Archives: Viva!

American Disaster: Crisis In Flint | Rachel Maddow Holds a Town Hall

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Rachel Maddow has been on this Flint lead poisoning- Governor Snyder-Emergency Manager clusterfuck!

Kudo, Ms. Maddow.

RECAP here:

Liza: “Snyder (most likely) thinks there were enough screw-ups and enough complicit players in this evil scheme that he can point fingers and survive. Like I been saying, the elephant in the room is the disgusting, putrid, foul Flint River water. Where is the chemical analysis, where is the treatment plan? How did you plan to turn filthy Flint River water into drinking water that would be in compliance with EPA regulations?”

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We’ll post the entire video of the town hall soon.

FIOCRUZ Researchers Investigate Other Possible Zika Mosquito Vectors

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The accepted wisdom today is that the Aedes Aegypti mosquito (and very likely the Aedes Albopictus) are the two primary mosquito vectors for Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya. Both are well distributed in Central and South America, and both make serious inroads into North America as well. 

But worldwide there are well over 3,500 species of mosquito, and at least 175 of those can be found in the United States.  Most do not transmit disease, but other non-Aedes species can and do carry diseases like  Malaria (Anopheles) and West Nile (Culex).

Reseachers at FIOCRUZ (Fundação Oswaldo Cruz), one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific research institutes in South America, are now investigating the possibility that other, non-Aedes mosquito species, might carry and spread Zika and Chikungunya.

The keyword is `possibility‘, as all of this is speculative and nothing has been proven yet.  But one never knows until one looks.

The concern is that the Culex mosquito – which is 20 times more prevalent than the Aedes variety in Brazil – might also play some role in the rapid spread of these viruses.  Researchers hope to have some answers in a few weeks.


Fiocruz investigating whether mosquito can also transmit zika


01.27.16 at 19:20 Folhapress


KLEBER NUNES RECIFE, PE (Folhapress) – Researchers at Fiocruz Pernambuco are investigating whether the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus, also known as mosquito or muriçoca, can transmit the virus zika. The restlessness of experts came to realize that the French Micronesia in 2007, when the first outbreak was recorded, there was a tiny population of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that is the vector of the disease in Brazil, and an alarming infestation of Culex. “In wild environments it was the zika virus found in other types of Aedes and Culex. Why in the urban area would be only one vector? Is that what we want to understand,” said Constance Ayres, entomologist and research coordinator.

To verify the transmission of the virus zika, the researchers infected Culex mosquitoes 200. Everyone gets the salivary glands and the digestive tracts examined. “If found the zika these materials, particularly in the salivary gland, we have a strong indication that the Culex is also vector of the disease. Then one field research will need to confirm. Otherwise, we will consider how the insect gene that blocks the action of the virus [in Culex], “said Ayres. The conclusion of this research phase shall be disclosed until the end of February.

Depending on the outcome, actions to combat the spread of disease caused by zika virus can change completely. “Unlike the Aedes aegypti mosquito, Culex lays its eggs in dirty water, like drains and sewers. Then, you need to prioritize sanitation throughout the country,” she said. The mosquito has different habits of Aedes, which, according to Ayres, increase the need for the population to redouble care not to be infected. “While the Aedes aegypti feeds on human blood during the day, Culex do so at the night,” he said.

Conventional wisdom isn’t what it used to be.  Only a few months ago Zika was considered a mild, self-limiting illness with minimal public health impact.  Today, the evidence suggests otherwise.

Which is why, even if this research doesn’t end up implicating other mosquito vectors, it is worth doing.

WHO To Convene IHR Emergency Committee Meeting On Zika

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Over the past several days the World Health Organization has come under intense pressure from a variety of sources to convene an Emergency Meeting of the IHR to discuss whether Zika constitutes a PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern).

An opinion piece appeared yesterday in JAMA (see JAMA Viewpoint: Emerging Zika pandemic requires more WHO action now) urging that a meeting be called.

Meanwhile Helen Branswell (see As Zika spreads, WHO facing calls to take more urgent measures ) and Maggie Fox (see Experts Urge Quicker Action on Zika) both carried reports on numerous calls for action from experts around the globe.

A short while ago the WHO emailed the following statement to journalists announcing an IHR Emergency Meeting will be held on Monday.

 WHO Media Statement on Zika virus

Geneva 28 January 2016–WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan, will convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations.

The Committee will meet on Monday 1 February in Geneva to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Decisions concerning the Committee’s membership and advice will be made public on WHO’s website.

Outbreak in the Americas


In May 2015, Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus disease. Since then, the disease has spread within Brazil and to 24 other countries in the region.

Arrival of the virus in some countries of the Americas, notably Brazil, has been associated with a steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a poorly understood condition in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, sometimes resulting in paralysis.

A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth defects and neurological syndromes has not been established, but is strongly suspected.

WHO action

WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas (PAHO) has been working closely with affected countries since May 2015. PAHO has mobilized staff and members of the Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN) to assist ministries of health in strengthening their abilities to detect the arrival and circulation of Zika virus through laboratory testing and rapid reporting. The aim has been to ensure accurate clinical diagnosis and treatment for patients, to track the spread of the virus and the mosquito that carries it, and to promote prevention, especially through mosquito control.

The Organization is supporting the scaling up and strengthening of surveillance systems in countries that have reported cases of Zika and of microcephaly and other neurological conditions that may be associated with the virus. Surveillance is also being heightened in countries to which the virus may spread. In the coming weeks, the Organization will convene experts to address critical gaps in scientific knowledge about the virus and its potential effects on fetuses, children and adults.

WHO will also prioritize the development of vaccines and new tools to control mosquito populations, as well as improving diagnostic tests.

Zika virus spreading in Latin America

The Zika virus has spread rapidly across Latin America, transforming from a little-known, mild ailment to an international public health concern. The illness is transmitted through the Aedes aegypti mosquito and until recently was believed to only cause mild symptoms. There is now evidence linking Zika to a spike in cases of pregnant women giving birth to babies with microcephaly, a birth defect in which a baby is born with a smaller than normal head, and Guillain-Barre syndrome. The CDC expects the virus to continue to spread and has urged pregnant women to avoid the two dozen countries where the virus is present so far and to take extra precaution to avoid mosquito bites.

By Emily Z. Fortier
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Gleyse Kelly da Silva, 27, holds her daughter Maria Giovanna, who was born with microcephaly, outside their house in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil, Wednesday, Jan. 27. Brazilian officials still say they believe there is a sharp increase in cases of microcephaly and strongly suspect the Zika virus, which first appeared in the country last year, is to blame.
(Felipe Dana/Associated Press)