Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
Did Zika’s recent mutations let it explode as a |
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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Posted: February 07 2016 at 8:42am |
What's still puzzling to me is that they sequence any new possible flu variant in a matter of a few days looking for changes, and with Zika, they do absolutely no sequencing. I personally believe the WHO is suppressing information to avoid travel restrictions at all costs. How on earth have they not sequenced this new outbreak and determined mutations? The WHO and CDC have remained 100% silent in this area. Scary for them to do this. It's really up to the third world countries to come up with the answers with everything as the CDC and WHO will remain silent until after the Olympics.
Did Zika’s recent mutations let it explode as a global threat?Don’t get pregnant, at least for now. That is the chilling warning from governments battling the Zika pandemic, as evidence mounts that the mosquito-borne virus can cause severe birth defects. As the scale of the impact starts to emerge, scientists are scrambling to learn more about the little-known virus. Is it evolving to be more severe and contagious in humans? Or has it taken off so aggressively simply because someone carried it to a new place with the right mosquitoes? Zika virus got a foothold in the Americas, via Brazil, early last year. Since then it is estimated to have infected up to 1.3 million people there, and to have broken out in 25 countries where it was previously unknown, across Asia, Africa and the Pacific. This includes 12 countries in the Americas that have been infected since mid-December. Travellers with Zika are turning up as far afield as New York and the UK. In places where the Aedes mosquitoes that carry the virus live, such infected people could spread it further. Aedes mosquitoes occur throughout the tropics and into the temperate zone, including southern Europe and as far north in the US as Long Island. The World Health Organization announced today that in the Americas only Canada and continental Chile are free of Aedes – hence the virus could spread everywhere else. More efficient virus?What is worrying virologists, says Paolo Zanotto of the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, is that before 2000, Zika wasn’t known to spread widely among humans or cause the kind of complications we are seeing today, such as stunted brain development in fetuses and the potentially fatal neural disorder Guillain-Barré syndrome (see “Zika: symptoms and complications”, below). It evolved in Africa as an infection of forest animals – possibly primates – that occasionally infected people, but never spread. Decades ago it invaded some parts of South-East Asia, abandoning animals and spreading solely among humans, but went no further. Now that Asian strain is exploding. It infected 75 per cent of Yap islanders in Polynesia in 2007 and caused a massive outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013. That outbreak was followed by a rise in Guillain-Barré syndrome and brain damage in newborns. “I suspect the virus may have changed,” says Scott Weaver of the University of Texas in Galveston. It may be able to infect mosquitoes more easily, or multiply to higher levels in humans, so a mosquito is more likely to ingest some and infect her next victim. In work awaiting peer review, Zanotto reports that Zika has recently acquired subtle changes to its genome, which may allow it to hijack human cells more efficiently. Crowded citiesBut both Zanotto and Weaver stress that the virus’s apparent leap in virulence and transmission might just be down to it invading virgin territory, where people have no previous exposure and therefore no immunity. Other factors might have pushed it beyond its South-East Asian stronghold. Increasingly dense urban populations where humans and mosquitoes are crowded together will have led to more infections, making it more likely that someone with high levels of virus in their blood would carry Zika somewhere else with Aedes mosquitoes. Several labs are gearing up to see if recent strains are better at infecting Aedes – and have the mutations to match. After discovering molecules on Zika that resemble some on dengue virus, Zanotto is starting a trial to see if exposure to one causes damaging immune reactions to the other. He is worried that getting Zika might leave people vulnerable to a more serious form of dengue, and vice versa. “There are a lot of studies going on in Brazil,” says Maurício Nogueira of the Medical Faculty of São José in Rio Preto, Brazil, but results will take time, and the epidemic is growing. “We are trying to change the tyres with the car running.” Meanwhile, virologists worry about which virus will next leap from obscurity. “This will not stop with Zika,” warns Ab Osterhaus of the University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, who is looking at recent mutations in the virus. “We must get better at picking up these things earlier, and intervening.” Zika: symptoms and complicationsSome 80 per cent of people infected with the Zika virus don't have any symptoms. Those that do occur are mild: fever, rash, joint pain and eye inflammation for a week or less. The problem now emerging is its complications. Like many viruses including flu, Zika seems to trigger neural damage called Guillain-Barré syndrome in some people, which can lead to paralysis or death. It also attacks unborn babies. Microcephaly - babies born with brain damage and abnormally small heads - has jumped 20-fold in Brazil since Zika arrived. Other malformations have also afflicted babies whose mothers had Zika symptoms during pregnancy. Strengthening the link to the virus, the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in Stockholm, Sweden, reported last week that Zika has been found in tissues from five affected babies. Maurício Nogueira of the Medical Faculty of São José in Rio Preto, Brazil, says ultrasound studies to be published soon suggest it attacks the developing forebrain. With no defence beyond anti-mosquito measures, affected countries are advising women to postpose pregnancy, while countries outside the outbreak zone are telling women to postpose travel to the area. El Salvador, for example, has warned women not to get pregnant until 2018, although it is unclear how, in a country where birth control isn't always available, or what will have changed by 2018. Chikungunya, a similar virus, invaded the Americas in 2013 and is still raging. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2075152-did-zikas-recent-mutations-let-it-explode-as-a-global-threat/ |
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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The CDC & WHO say that the link between microcephaly and Zika is unconfirmed, yet study after study indicates otherwise. Olympics coming up is really causing officials to keep a lid on things.
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Similarities between Ebola and Zika are striking
Albert, the similarities between Ebola and Zika are striking, Ebola essentially setups up the immune system to self destruct it's called a cytokine storm, the reason for the explosive bleed out in ebola victims is that blood vessels are particularity susceptible to the antigen antibody complex. With the Zika virus it breaches the immune system in a similar fashion to Ebola then hides in the CNS and testes as does ebola, when the immune system eventually produces antibodies they attack the CNS and testes but the CNS and Testes are privileged areas that the immune system is not supposed to attack by default. Two reasons why Zika does not appear as deadly as EBOLA, 1) The antibody antigen complex is not attcking the endothelium. 2) the CNS and Testes are Immuno depressive by natural design. Zika does not appear to possess the contagiousness of ebola as it's not got the ebolas main glycoprotein spike but the mere fact that Zika has been identified as a bioweapon I would treat the Zika virus as a BIO-HAZARD same as Ebola, 3ft-6ft aerosol infectivity as per close contact would be a sensible precaution until we learn more) How long does zika remain in the Seminal fluid of it's male victims, I would guess 9 months as per Ebola. |
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Why it's Wrong to Compare Zika to Ebola
http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/why-it-s-wrong-compare-zika-ebola Zika differs considerably from Ebola. Ebola https://theconversation.com/what-happens-to-your--if-you-get-ebola-28116 - caused vomiting, fever and excessive bleeding that warranted the rapid development of treatment centres, safe burial practices and strict infection control protocols. Zika, on the other hand, is usually relatively mild. Only http://www.cdc.gov/zika/disease-qa. - one in five of those infected experiences flu like symptoms, which rarely require hospitalisation. I've already given scientific reasons for Zika's relatively mild symptoms (see previous post) There is still a lot of uncertainty about the disease. Yes that's why you must take REASONABLE PRECAUTIONS given the information we already have about Zika. The WHO http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/23/africa/ebola-lancet-re/ - was widely criticised for its response to Ebola. https://www.rt.comews/251109-ebola-who-slow-response/ - It admitted that it had been slow to react to the outbreak after it appeared in 2014 Yes, Dragon kings instructed WHO to stand down during the dispersal of EBOLA in west africa. Zika may also demonstrate the growing importance of BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) as players in global health. Lets hope so, would like to see the BRICS to develop their own Global Health Organization (GHO) along with CUBA The focus of any activities should be to provide relevant resources for greater research on Zika and methods of mosquito control, either via http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/malaria_worldwide/reduction/itn. - traditional methods or exploring recent developments such as https://theconversation.com/playing-god-with-mosquitoes-we-humans-have-loftier-aims-51362 - genetically modifying mosquitos. That's great Zika is a mosquito borne disease and the answer is more Female GM Mosquitos read more (see posts on THE BIOWARS) Looks like the dragon kings are feeling the heat and feel the need to roll out their propaganda machine, I recently had to discredited the business insider with regard to Oxitec GM Mosquitos now this. This Zika virus outbreak is a very serious event with the potential to go pandemic and the long term effects of Zika infection are yet to present themselves. |
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jacksdad
Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251 |
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Agreed - I'm amazed that we haven't anything either way about possible mutations driving this outbreak. Odd.
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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary. |
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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The CDC and WHO have been dead silent about it and will not use the word mutation whatsoever. They are downplaying absolutely every aspect of this to avoid any sort of travel restrictions. Greatest lack of organized transparency ever witnessed in the last decade. Fauci is the only one who seems to be close to being forthright, but also avoids the main issues. It's going to be up to the 3rd world countries to provide answers with all of this. They are on their own as we are.
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ozarkcountryboy
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Why not just buy some yourself and play with mutating it.
Probably get some big money for a cure! http://www.atcc.org/products/all/VR-84.aspx#characteristics |
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Over the past couple of months we've seen reports of increased GBS in
Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Suriname, and Venezuela - all countries
where Zika has recently arrived.
Complicating matters, Zika isn't the only arbovirus circulating in these countries. Dengue has been around for decades, but Chikungunya only began to spread widely in the Americas in early 2014. Many of those who are now falling victim to Zika have previously had CHKV and/or Dengue (I-4), raising questions over the potential impact of concurrent or sequential infection. |
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jacksdad
Executive Admin Joined: September 08 2007 Location: San Diego Status: Offline Points: 47251 |
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Guest - your input is very much appreciated, as is the time you obviously spend on researching and posting. Time to register, maybe? Anonymity is practically a given here - few members make their true identities known on the forum - so feel free to pick a good name and make yourself comfortable. You're more than welcome here.
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"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary. |
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cobber
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I'm very suspicious on what the WHO are releasing too. They are tight with numbers and a tight with sequencing data. The level of caution is concerning..
The info regarding the link from Zika to GBS also seems to be quite watered down. They are saying dont rush to link the two. The French on the otherhand came out and said the correlation between Zika and GBS was that very strong. They said the link is "almost certain". http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article58422293.html I can't see the WHO pandering to the Olympic Games
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Albert
Admin Joined: April 24 2006 Status: Offline Points: 47746 |
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Hi Cob, I think it's all about the Olympics. If the Olympics go down, which could happen anyway if Kenya pulls out, it will hurt Brazil's economy fairly bad. The WHO in the past has been very outspoken about economics effects, especially during Ebola and how restrictions would hurt W. Africa. When actually those things are not the WHO's business. They refuse to link Zika with GBS, Microc., nerve disorders, etc.... The only link they confirm is basically a rash and pink eye. They will do everything possible to avoid flight restrictions.
Guest, as JD said , pick a name if you want. Even pick "Guest", lol. You proxy your I.P anyway, but just so you know, there is no entity on the planet that can get me to disclose any info on a member, bar none. I don't bend. We will even give you a fancy spancy title and kick you up to Admin Group or something special for your good work. If you really don't want to, don't worry about it. |
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Albert
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https://www.rt.com/usa/331954-zika-virus-cases-eye-defects/ In a new study published on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology, Brazilian researchers reported finding eye problems in 10 out of 29 newborns infected with the Zika virus, for which there is no vaccine or treatment. Retina atrophy, iris discoloration, and lens dislocations were counted among the birth defects, and in seven out of the 10 cases, both eyes were affected. The study proves the more well-known birth defect known as microcephaly, where a baby’s head and brain don’t fully develop, isn’t the only risk faced by Zika’s most vulnerable victims. The first Zika outbreak was identified in Brazil in May of last year, and though it is primarily contracted via mosquito bites, it can also be spread through blood transfusions and unprotected sex, as well as to unborn children whose pregnant mothers are infected. The CDC advises men to use condoms or refrain from intercourse with pregnant women if they have traveled to a high risk country recently. It also recommends that pregnant women be tested two to 12 weeks after returning from afflicted regions. |
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