There is a new virus for everyone to be aware of. The zika virus is spreading rapidly in the America’s, “the head of the World Health Organization said Thursday, with another official estimating between 3 million to 4 million infections in the region over a 12-month period”. This is a new virus and there is not enough information available yet to truly understand the effects. About “80% of those infected with the Zika virus don't even feel sick, and most who do have relatively mild symptoms such as a fever, rash, joint pain or pink eye”. However, the symptoms are much worse for pregnant women and infants. Although it has not been proven, there is a “strong” connection between the virus and the “steep increase in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome”. This syndrome is a “rare autoimmune disorder that can lead to life-threatening paralysis”. Clearly, this virus is dangerous, and the uncertainty of the effects of the virus poses another serious threat. This virus is not new to the world, it is only new to the Americas. It is a “mosquito-borne disease” that is now in “23 countries and territories in the Americas”. However, all of the people in the United States that are infected contracted the virus in another country. “Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the W.H.O., said she was convening an emergency meeting on Monday to decide whether to declare a public health emergency.” The WHO is rapidly getting involved with the virus in fear of the “widespread criticism that it had allowed the last major global health crisis —Ebola — to fester for months without a coordinated, effective strategy”. There is not even a vaccine for this virus yet so action must be taken to prevent the continuous outbreak of the virus.
What do you think about the outbreak?
Do you think the government should get involved and work alongside the WHO to find a solution?
Should pregnant women be banned from traveling to infected areas?
Since Brazil is one of the infected countries, do you think the Olympics will be relocated?
Sources:
9 comments:
I do think that it is in our nation's best interest to get the government involved. If it is still valid at this time that those that have contracted the disease have done so outside of the United States, it is essential for the government to keep it that way and take precautionary steps to ensure that it is contained. If the disease begins to spread within the borders, we will have another Ebola-like issue on our hands. In the case that this illness can not be kept under control it is important that the U.S. arranges for Doctors to be properly informed on how to best deal with pregnant women and infants that contract the disease. If the government does not stand in, sooner rather than later, not only will the lives of women and children throughout the country be at risk, but there are bound to be groups that will rise and express their distaste towards the governments lack of affirmative action. At this point there are very few deficits, if any, to the government intervening.
I personally think it be strongly advised for pregnant women to avoid traveling to infected areas, however banning the travel altogether may be too controversial. This is frankly a silly suggestion anyway because most pregnant women are advised by their doctors to avoid traveling by plane at a certain point in their pregnancies anyway.
I also do not think the olympics will be relocated at this point. It seems as though this disease has been prominent in other nations for quite sometime, and it is of concern right now only because it has finally breached the U.S. border. I think precautionary steps will be taken, but unless the outbreaks become more frequent and fatal, it takes a lot to reschedule an Olympic Games.
While being blown up by the media, the recent Ebola "outbreak" was handled almost impeccably by the CDC and US government alike. Amid huge media uproar, there were almost no Ebola deaths in the United States during the 2014 panic. I believe the government should get involved with this and definitely work with the WHO to find a solution. With theirs and the CDC's help, this emergency will be solved much faster than before. This new emergency should follow the same precautionary methods as was done in 2014.
I do not think that this recent development will effect the location of the Olympics. Honestly, its not detrimental enough to require a relocation for something as huge as the Olympics as it probably has already cost Brazil millions. I do not think that pregnant women should be banned from traveling to infected areas, however, they should be informed of the dangers of doing so before traveling. As this is the first I have heard of this disease, I believe there should be more conversation about it anyways, trying not to create a panic like the Ebola virus.
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/united-states-imported-case.html
I think that the outbreak is like all the other medical outbreaks that have occurred in recent years in the United States. Since this virus is not new to the world, only new to the Americas, the W.H.O. already has information on the mosquito-borne disease. While this is not life-threatening, the pregnant women could be in a threatened position.
I think that the government is not needed at this stage of the outbreak because there simply aren’t enough people with the virus to contain and work towards a solution for. The numbers are too small and the degree of impact not high enough to possibly warrant government assistance. Pregnant women should be advised to stay out of tropical areas but should not be prohibited or stopped because it is their right to go if they please.
I think that the outbreak will not warrant the moving of the Olympics due to the insignificant symptoms and the low chances of someone contracting the disease.
I agree with morganb and her opinion that the government should get involved in the outbreak of the zika virus. As Cat stated, the virus is rapidly spreading throughout the America's and therefore we need to take action as soon as possible so that as little people are effected. Moreover, in the past few months, there has been a huge e-coli breakout from individuals who ate at the mexican chain, Chipotle. In the beginning of the breakout, people continued to eat at Chipotle because they believed that it was only a minor incident. However, now the breakout has exploded and the restaurant is going to close down all of its locations for a cleaning. The example of the e-coli Chipotle breakout emphasized the need for government to take action in the early stages of the zika virus so that it does not become progressively worse. Additionally, Cat proposed the question on whether or not we think the Olympics will be relocated as Brazil is one of the affected countries. Without a doubt, the Olympics will not be moved because of this virus. Olympic venues are determined years and years in advance as major construction and planning for the city needs to take place. However, if the zika virus is still taking place in the summer during the Olympics it will definitely be a problem for the tourism and spectators of the sporting events as many people will not want to risk their health.
I think that people traveling to the effected countries should proceed with caution but the disease is also being blown out of proportion in some ways. Most people who contract the disease live in poor rural areas of the country whereas most tourists don't travel into those areas. Thus it is less likely for an american tourist to contract the virus. I do believe the U.S should get involved in trying to create a vaccine for it because it would allow people to feel a sense of security when they are in these countries. However British intelligence is trying to make a difference by creating genetically modified male mosquitoes and releasing them in the Latin american countries effected by the virus. The modified male mosquito mate with female mosquito with the virus and then before their infected larva hatch they die. This is meant to limit the amount of infected offspring limiting the amount of mosquitoes carrying the disease.
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/01/26/464464459/genetically-modified-mosquitoes-join-the-fight-to-stop-zika-virus
The Zika virus should definitely be taken care of by the government. Just yesterday (February 3, 2016) the CDC confirmed that the Zika virus has been sexually transmitted in the state of Texas. "Until we know more, if your male sexual partner has traveled to or lives in an area with active Zika virus transmission, you should abstain from sex" the CDC said in their updated guidelines. If the virus has the ability to be transmitted through sexual contact then that means the virus is going to be much hard to contain because people who don't know they have it could be spreading it to multiple people without even knowing it. If the government doesn't take this situation seriously, this virus could bring about collateral damage to our nation.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/02/health/zika-virus-sexual-contact-texas/
I agree that the Zika virus definitely needs to be taken care of by the government, and they must take immediate action. This could be a serious threat to US health safety and must be treated carefully. Just today, the first Zika virus pregnancy case was in Europe was confirmed in Spain. This virus is clearly spreading and we must prioritize our safety. I agree with Your Pal in that the CDC and US government handled the Ebola scare of 2014 extremely well and that they should act similarly in this situation. Because this virus is now new, and the CDC has some information on it, I have faith that this can be resolved quickly. I do not believe that there is any chance the Olympics will be moved because of this scare, because it is simply not an extreme threat yet. However, the recent spreading of Zika to Europe is not a good sign.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35490524
I think that this is being blown a little out of proportion, as the media tends to do. I agree with Your Pal and I think this will be handled well by both the WHO and out government. People tend to hear what they want to hear, and when the words "Never appeared in the US" show up, they think this is a new virus and that we should go full panic mode trying to stop it. While it is alarming that people will be returning to the country carrying the disease because not all people are smart or fully aware, the government should be able to step in and take measures to quarantine and prevent the spread of disease. The WHO has also been aware of the disease before, and have taken steps to try to learn how to prevent it. Also, from what I've read, it is most dangerous to pregnant women and infants, which doesn't necessarily blanket the entire population, which is better than everyone being affected. I'm sure that the Center for Disease Control, or CDC, will have a difficult task ahead of them but will be able to take the challenge on anyways.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/01/health/cdc-frieden-zika-explained/
As with the Swine Flu, and almost every other "outbreak" in recent years, i believe it is being blown out of proportion by the media in an effort to garner attention. Not only is the virus mostly dangerous to infants and pregnant woman, there has not been one case in the US. I think our government and WHO will do whatever it takes to ensure this virus doesn't get out of hand and in addition will take steps to prevent its migration to the US. On the subject of the Olympics, there is no way they will relocate. Brazil has poured billions into the games already and is not about to undo that for a virus that may or may not be a serious threat.
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