One Quarter Of Puerto Rico Expected To Contract Zika Virus By The End Of 2016

[DonViejo]

Source: The National Memo

August 17, 2016 11:22 pm

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that a full quarter of Puerto Rico’s residents will be infected with the Zika virus by the end of 2016. That dire warning was initially made in June, as health officials noted the disease was spreading at previously unexpected speeds. Late last week, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy reiterated that figure, stating that 25 percent of the country’s 3.5 million inhabitants will be infected by the end of the year, and expressed urgency in addressing the virus as infection rates threaten to reach epidemic levels.

“We cannot afford to wait much longer,” Murthy said, according to the report from the AP. “I am deeply concerned about how quickly the virus is spreading.”

Murthy’s remarks were quickly followed by the declaration of a public health emergency in Puerto Rico by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A statement issued by the agency indicates that officials are particularly concerned with the threat the virus poses to pregnant women, their children and all women of childbearing age.

“This Administration is committed to meeting the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico with the necessary urgency,” HHA Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said in the statement. “As the first virus that can be transmitted by mosquitoes known to cause severe birth defects, we are working closely with Puerto Rican officials to pursue solutions to fight the virus in Puerto Rico with a focus on protecting pregnant women and continuing our efforts with jurisdictions throughout the United States to address this public health threat.”

-snip-

Read more: http://www.nationalmemo.com/one-quarter-puerto-rico-expected-contract-zika-virus-end-2016/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sd&utm_medium=email

[Motley13]

1. With all the flooding in LA

I'm sure they will have a very big problem

[friendly_iconoclast]

2. Not to mention dengue fever, chikungunya, and West Nile virus:

http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/1930

[LanternWaste]

3. In the short-term, the flooding will cut down on the mosquito population

In the short-term, the flooding will cut down on the mosquito population, making it less likely that a person would contract any mosquito-born illness as flooding immediately washes away existing mosquito larvae populations.

However, the large amounts of standing water that remain in the flooded area will provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes starting three or four weeks after the flood recedes. But the type of mosquito that carries Zika, (Aedes aegyptyi), hasn't been found in the parts of Louisiana affected by the flood. That mosquito has only been discovered in areas around Lake Pontchartrain, specifically Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and St. Tammany parishes.

[smirkymonkey]

4. Can't they spray to kill the mosquitos? I know it's probably not the healthiest solution, but it

has to be better than having such a large percentage of the population infected with Zika.