Zika in the U.S.
Here in the United States, there is an ongoing battle between knowledge and funding to find a cure or recourse against Zika virus. From potentially deploying [link url=”https://amuedge.com/synthetic-mosquito-to-fight-zika/” title=”synthetic mosquitoes”] to the [link url=”https://amuedge.com/cdc-issues-clear-statement-on-zika-with-60-million-in-funding/” title=”CDC providing $60 million in funding”], various regions of the U.S. are taking steps to fight Zika. Per the CDC, the continued effort to eradicate the virus has resulted in just 43 locally acquired mosquito-borne cases within the continental U.S. — all coming out of Florida.
Next stop, Singapore
One area in Southeast Asia, Singapore, is witnessing a high spike of local transmission of the virus as of late. According to the Singapore’s [link url=”http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-singapore-idUSKCN11J15U” title=”Ministry of Health”], there are now 333 reported cases since the first confirmed reported case on August 27. That is an average of nearly 19 new cases daily.
Questions abound as to why Singapore has become the next big outbreak area, as the city is regarded as one of the cleanest cities in the World, according to [link url=”http://www.abcnewspoint.com/top-10-list-of-most-cleanest-cities-in-the-world-2015/” title=”ABC News Point”]. Surrounding countries are now on alert, as they now fear that they may be next.
What we know
[link url=”http://www.asianscientist.com/2016/09/health/zika-virus-outbreak-singapore/” title=”Irani Thevarajan”], an infectious disease physician from Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, said that Zika transmission has little to do with cleanliness and is instead more influenced by the presence of vectors and potential breeding sites for mosquitoes. Thevarajan also said that Singapore is home to the mosquito having the ability to transmit the Zika virus, Aedes aegypti, which is the same species that is also known to transmit dengue virus.
There is currently no cure or vaccine for Zika, and, [link url=”http://www.asianscientist.com/2016/09/health/zika-virus-outbreak-singapore/” title=”according to Thevarajan”], “Good surveillance is the first step towards having an appropriate response… so control measures would focus on vector control and elimination or breeding areas, use of insecticides and trying to interrupt the breeding cycle.”
Cause and effect
Within the States, some regions have ramped up efforts to destroy breeding areas through the use of insecticides. The theory is that utilizing insecticides could potentially result in a low number of locally transmitted cases. But not all efforts occurred without issues thus far. Recently, [link url=”https://amuedge.com/aerial-spraying-kills-millions-of-honeybees-in-south-carolina/” title=”honeybee killings in South Carolina”] occurred after aerial spraying of insecticides, and a [link url=”https://amuedge.com/study-finds-link-between-neonicotinoid-insecticides-bee-colony-declines/” title=”new study”] just linked neonicotinoid insecticides directly to bee colony declines.
[relink url=”https://amuedge.com/synthetic-mosquito-to-fight-zika/” url2=”https://amuedge.com/cdc-issues-clear-statement-on-zika-with-60-million-in-funding/” url3=”https://amuedge.com/aerial-spraying-kills-millions-of-honeybees-in-south-carolina/”]
Comments are closed.