Larvicide Microcephaly Outbreak: Doctors

[valley ranch]

TAG Zika Virus, Microcephaly, Babies, Brazil, Monsanto
Larvicide Manufactured By Sumitomo, Not Zika Virus, True Cause Of Brazil's Microcephaly Outbreak: Doctors

By Alyssa Navarro, Tech Times | February 14, 8:58 AM

The microcephaly outbreak in Brazil, which coincided with the spread of the Zika virus, continues to stun the world, even months after the incident was first reported.Pregnant women all over the world have been advised to take caution. The Zika virus infection has been linked to newborn babies with the birth defect microcephaly. This is a congenital condition in which babies are born with unusually tiny heads.
The notion, however, has recently been challenged by a group of Argentine physicians. The group suspects that the Zika virus is not to blame for the rise in microcephaly cases, but that a toxic larvicide introduced into Brazil's water supplies may be the real culprit.
Not A Coincidence?
According to the Physicians in Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST), a chemical larvicide that produces malformations in mosquitoes was injected into Brazil's water supplies in 2014 in order to stop the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks.
The chemical, which is known as Pyriproxyfen, was used in a massive government-run program tasked to control the mosquito population in the country. Pyriproxyfen is a larvicide manufactured by Sumitomo Chemical, a company associated [PDF] with Monsanto. However, PCST has referred to Sumitomo as a subsidiary of Monsanto.
A group of Argentine physicians claim that the sudden microcephaly outbreak in Brazil was not caused by the Zika virus, but by a larvicide injected into the country's water supplies.

WWW.techtimes.com

[valley ranch]

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/13...ak-doctors.htm

[southwest88]

The story @ the URL is from mid-Feb. If Pyriproxyfen is the cause of Zika &/or microcephaly in Brazil, it should be easy enough to examine the fetuses & babies (& adults, for that matter) to confirm the presence of the chemical. Nor does that explain the outbreak of Zika & possibly of microcephaly throughout much of the Americas, north from Brazil, into Central America, the Caribbean & Mexico, with southern coastal parts of the US @ risk.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zika_v..._(2015–present)

"As early as August 2014, physicians in Natal in northeastern Brazil began to investigate an outbreak of illness characterized by a flat pinkish rash, bloodshot eyes, fever, joint pain and headaches. While the symptoms resembled dengue fever, testing ruled out this and several other potential causes. By March 2015, the illness had spread to Salvador, Bahia and had appeared in three different states.^[64] Then, in May 2015, researchers from the Federal University of Bahia and the Evandro Chagas Institute determined, using the RT-PCR technique, that the illness was an outbreak of Zika virus.^[65][66]

"The Zika virus was first isolated in 1947, in a rhesus monkey in a forest near Entebbe, Uganda.^[67] Although serologic evidence indicated additional human exposure during subsequent decades in parts of Africa and Asia,^[68] before the 2007 Yap Islands Zika virus outbreak, only 14 cases of human Zika virus disease had been documented.^[67]"

(My emphasis - more @ the URL)

The allegation of chemical causation of microcephaly needs a lot more development & data on the ground, before it becomes plausible, let alone persuasive.

[waltky]

Microcephaly Found in Older Babies Exposed to Zika... Study: Microcephaly Found in Older Babies Exposed to Zika November 28, 2016 - Older babies in Brazil that were exposed to the Zika virus in the womb have been diagnosed with microcephaly, or an unusually small head and brain, even though the defect was not visible at birth.

A study published in the U.S. journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report involved 13 babies in two Brazilian states born with small heads, but not small enough to be diagnosed with microcephaly. The babies tested positive for Zika. Imaging scans of the babies’ heads soon after birth showed brain abnormalities. Researchers then followed the infants. Around the time of their first birthday, 11 of the 13 babies were diagnosed with microcephaly. Their heads and brains had not developed in proportion to their growth and size. While pregnant, their mothers had been infected with Zika, a mosquito-borne illness that has swept across the Americas.

A baby's head is measured by a neurologist at the Mestre Vitalino Hospital in Caruaru, Pernambuco state, Brazil

Ernesto Marques, who was not involved in the study, is an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. For the last two years, Marques has studied microcephaly caused by Zika in newborns. "What [the study] means is that even babies that were born with brains or cranium with normal diameter, they still may have the congenital disease … that's just not as visible," Marques said. Microcephaly causes severe neurological problems, including seizures, eye and hearing problems, and motor difficulties similar to cerebral palsy. There is no known treatment for Zika, or a way to prevent microcephaly in susceptible infants. Researchers do not know how the virus causes microcephaly, though some have speculated the brain damage is caused by an immune response to Zika. Marques says the infection may interfere with biological pathways and hormones that promote normal brain growth and development. In babies who are suspected of having the condition, Marques says it's important to identify those with vision and hearing problems as soon as possible.

Microcephaly, illustrated on CDC website

Noting that sight and sound stimulate brain development, Marques said, "The diagnosis of visual issues and hearing issues in those babies is very important to treat … in order to minimize the damage or impact of the other neurological problems these babies have." There are eyeglasses and other devices to enhance sight and hearing in babies, potentially limiting the severity of microcephaly. Unlike babies who are born with microcephaly, researchers say older infants appear to have less severe brain damage. Researchers note the study was small, so it's impossible to say how often microcephaly might be diagnosed in older infants affected by Zika. http://www.voanews.com/a/study-micro...a/3615517.html

See also: Texas Reports First Case of Zika Spread by Local Mosquitoes November 28, 2016 - Texas health officials on Monday reported the state's first case of Zika likely spread by local mosquitoes, making Texas the second state within the continental United States to report local transmission of the virus that has been linked to birth defects.

The case involved a woman living in Cameron County near the Mexico border who is not pregnant, the Texas Department of State Health Services said. Pregnancy is the biggest concern with Zika because the virus can cause severe, life-long birth defects, including microcephaly, in which a child is born with an abnormally small head, a sign its brain has stopped growing normally. Texas said it currently has no other suspected cases of local Zika transmission, but officials there plan to step up efforts to watch for the virus. 238 cases of Zika in Florida The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was coordinating with state and local officials to increase surveillance efforts and "vector control activities" such as spraying for adult mosquitoes and applying larvicide to kill emerging mosquitoes. Texas is one of several U.S. states where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry Zika, are present. Florida's Miami Dade County has been battling Zika within local mosquito populations since mid-summer. As of today, the state has had 238 cases of locally transmitted Zika. “We knew it was only a matter of time before we saw a Zika case spread by a mosquito in Texas,” Dr. John Hellerstedt, Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner, said in a statement. “We still don't believe the virus will become widespread in Texas, but there could be more cases, so people need to protect themselves from mosquito bites, especially in parts of the state that stay relatively warm in the fall and winter.”

Dr. Aileen Marty, professor of Infectious Diseases at Florida International University, explains the use of insect repellent towelettes in Miami. There have been 238 cases of Zika reported in Florida.

Zika expected in Texas Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, said local transmission in Texas was “totally expected.” Both dengue and chikungunya, two closely related viruses, have already spread locally in Texas, and the state “is a well-established home” of Aedes mosquitoes. “What this case underscores is the risk of local transmission in any area in which Aedes mosquitoes are present and the urgent need to continue aggressive vector control measures to minimize the impact of such local introductions,” he said. Trapping, testing mosquitoes Officials in Cameron County and the City of Brownsville have assessed the woman's home and have begun trapping and testing mosquitoes to understand how widespread the virus is in local mosquito populations. The city recently sprayed for mosquitoes in the area, and will continue to take action to reduce the mosquito population, state and local officials said. “Even though it is late in the mosquito season, mosquitoes can spread Zika in some areas of the country,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a statement. “Texas is doing the right thing by increasing local surveillance and trapping and testing mosquitoes in the Brownsville area.” No vaccine or treatment There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for individuals to know whether they have been infected. The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last year in Brazil, which has since confirmed more than 2,000 cases of the birth defect. In adults, Zika infections have also been linked to a rare neurological syndrome known as Guillain-Barre, as well as other neurological disorders. http://www.voanews.com/a/zika-texas-...y/3615468.html

[waltky]

Microcephaly cases quadruple in Colombia due to zika...

Deformed babies quadrupled amid Zika crisis: report
Sun, Dec 11, 2016 - Four times the number of babies born with skull deformities linked to Zika virus were reported in Colombia this year following the outbreak of the mosquito-borne infection, a US government report said on Friday.

Women infected early in pregnancy were most at risk of giving birth to babies with unusually small heads, a condition known as microcephaly, a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The Zika outbreak, which began in the middle of last year, has mainly swept across Latin America and the Caribbean. The viral disease can be spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito or sexual contact.

The toll of microcephaly in Colombia was smaller than in Brazil, which saw a nine-fold increase in the disorder, perhaps because much of the population in Colombia lives at higher elevations where mosquitoes are scarce, according to the report. “This preliminary report on Zika virus disease and microcephaly in Colombia demonstrates that an increase in microcephaly is not specific to Brazil,” the centers said. “This finding confirms that countries with Zika virus outbreaks are likely to experience large increases in microcephaly and other Zika-related birth defects.” Colombia recorded 476 cases of microcephaly from Jan. 31 to the middle of last month, four times higher than the same period last year, the report said.

Of those cases, 432 infants were born alive and 44 were lost to either miscarriage, abortion or stillbirth. “The peak in cases of microcephaly in Colombia came about six months after the period in which the highest number of new Zika infections was reported, which suggests that the highest risk period for Zika-associated microcephaly is likely to be in the first half of pregnancy, particularly the first trimester and early in the second,” the centers said. Colombia reported 105,000 cases of Zika virus, including nearly 20,000 cases in pregnant women, from Aug. 9, last year, through to Nov. 26.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/worl.../11/2003661016

[Peter1469]

I suggested this from the beginning of this new cycle- pesticides.

[waltky]

6% of Zika Pregnancies show Birth Defects...

US Study: Birth Defects Seen in 6 Percent of Zika Pregnancies
December 14, 2016 — Roughly six percent of women in the United States who were infected with the Zika virus during pregnancy had fetuses or babies with birth defects, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

Of the 442 women in a U.S. Zika registry who had completed their pregnancies, 26 of their babies had one or more birth defect thought to be linked with Zika infection during pregnancy, according to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A total of 18 of the fetuses or babies had microcephaly, meaning an abnormally small-sized head, which often signifies arrested brain development. Once considered a mild, mosquito-borne infection, Zika has been linked with thousands of cases of birth defects in Brazil and elsewhere.

Evaristo Miqueli, a natural resources officer with Broward County Mosquito Control, looks through a microscope at Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Pembroke Pines, Florida

The birth defects occurred among fetuses or babies of pregnant women from the United States who were exposed to Zika in places where the virus was spreading, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said the study is important because it shows the rate of microcephaly and other fetal malformations among babies born to women in the United States is similar to the estimated rate of infections in Brazil. "Zika poses a real risk throughout pregnancy, but especially in the first trimester; it's critical that pregnant women not travel to areas where Zika is spreading," Frieden said in a statement.

Ericka Torres holds her 3-month-old son, Jesus, who was born with microcephaly, at their home in Guarenas, Venezuela

In the study, 11 percent of the 442 women infected during the first trimester had fetuses or babies with birth defects. The study also shed light on whether babies whose mothers had Zika symptoms were more likely to be affected than those who had lab evidence of infection but no symptoms. In the study, whether a pregnant woman had symptoms of Zika infection did not seem to matter. The researchers found the same proportion of pregnancies with birth defects regardless of whether the mother showed symptoms.

Pregnant woman waits for a routine general checkup, which includes Zika screening, at the maternity ward of the Hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

The finding is significant because only one in five people infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus ever develop symptoms, meaning many pregnant women who become infected likely would never know it. Locations where the women in the study were infected include Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Republic of Marshall Islands and Venezuela. There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika.

http://www.voanews.com/a/us-study-sa...s/3636513.html

See also:

Human Zika Antibodies Prevent Infection in Mice
December 14, 2016 | WASHINGTON — Chinese researchers have identified broadly neutralizing human antibodies from a Zika patient that protected mice against infection with the mosquito-borne illness.

The substances are part of a growing arsenal of antibody-related treatments to fight the disease, which causes severe birth defects in babies. The most serious of these defects is microcephaly, in which children are born with a small head and brain that cause severe disabilities. No antibody treatments have yet received regulatory approval, say experts.

Virus is the target

Unlike other Zika-neutralizing antibodies that have been isolated from human patients, the newly-discovered antibodies only target the virus. Other human antibodies in development reportedly recognize the closely-related Zika and dengue viruses, increasing the risk of unwanted side effects. In particular, experts say other antibody treatments could make a dengue infection worse in regions that are endemic for both diseases, should people become infected with both viruses and are treated for Zika. Researchers say the specificity of the Zika antibodies would avoid such cross-reactivity and side effects.

WHO declared health emergency

More than 80,000 people became infected with Zika in 69 countries and regions worldwide beginning in 2015. Before it was quelled, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a public health emergency, saying there was an urgent need for the development of treatments and preventative strategies. Chinese researchers identified a total of 13 monoclonal antibodies in the blood of a patient who had been infected with Zika and returned to China from Venezuela.

Two antibodies look promising

Two of the antibodies, called Z23 and Z3L1, are thought to thwart infection by targeting sites on on the virus' outer envelope protein, hindering the pathogen's ability to enter cells. The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Researchers say more study is needed to understand specifically how Z23 and Z3L1 offer protection against Zika.

http://www.voanews.com/a/zika-resear...n/3636587.html

[waltky]

Granny says dey's end time plagues - Jesus comin' back soon...

Three Viruses that Plagued World in 2016
December 27, 2016 - Health news in 2016 was dominated by talk of Zika, polio and HIV, and the fear, devastation and death that followed. However, scientific advances offer hope for treatment and protection in the years ahead.

Zika

While many people with Zika exhibit such mild symptoms that they don’t know they are infected, a surge of babies born with microcephaly proved that the virus is anything but harmless. Pregnant women with Zika are at risk of giving birth to babies with microcephaly, meaning they have abnormally small heads, which often signifies arrested brain development. The Zika virus originated in Uganda more than 60 years ago, and is transmitted by mosquitoes and through sex with an infected person. The virus recently emerged in Brazil, then surged north. There were confirmed cases in Florida, and health officials in Texas worry the virus might be spreading there.

Mothers with their children, who have microcephaly, await medical care at the Hospital Oswaldo Cruz, in Recife, Brazil

Dr. Anthony Costello, with the World Health Organization, said even one affected child has a big impact on community resources and a family's ability to cope. "It is a public health problem of huge concern for the world,” he said. “Sixty-nine countries have seen the Zika virus emerge in the last two years. We are talking about a virus that causes brain damage and potentially lifelong disability, which is a huge blow to families." Currently, prevention is key. Women are advised to avoid travel to areas where the virus is spreading, to guard against mosquito bites and to delay pregnancy. There is no vaccine against Zika, but one could be available in 2018.

Polio

Health official administers a polio vaccine to a child in Kawo Kano, Nigeria.

In Nigeria, the polio virus re-emerged in the violence-wracked northern part of the country, where it's hard to ensure that every child is vaccinated. Three children were diagnosed with polio just as Nigeria was thought to be approaching polio-free status. The virus also exists in another conflict zone: along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Those behind the vaccination effort say they are determined to eliminate the disease. Polio infections have decreased by 99 percent since 1988, from about 350,000 cases then to less than three dozen in 2016.

HIV/AIDS

In the beginning of December, Dr. Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health announced the start of a major trial of an experimental vaccine against the AIDS virus. "An HIV vaccine is not going to be easy,” he said. “We may not even know if we're going to get a vaccine."

Activists march in Durban, South Africa, July 18, 2016, at the start of the 21st World Aids Conference.

However, Fauci described the advances in AIDS treatment as nothing short of spectacular. "Today, the combinations of therapies we have for individuals — for someone who is in their 20s and gets infected and comes in and gets on a combination of drugs — you could predict that they could live an additional 50 years,” he said. “That is one of the most extraordinary advances in the transition from basic research to an applicable intervention in any field of medicine." If an effective vaccine is found, it could mean the end for a virus that has infected more than 70 million people and killed 35 million over the last half-century.

http://www.voanews.com/a/three-virus...n/3645763.html

[waltky]

Zika microcephaly in Mexico...

Mexico confirms first case of microcephaly from Zika
Saturday 4th February, 2017: Mexico has confirmed the first case of microcephaly linked to the Zika virus, the health ministry said on Friday.

The affected child, a girl, was born prematurely on Nov 5, 2016, and died at the moment of birth, the ministry said in a statement.

Between November 2015 and this January, 7,634 cases of Zika infection have been confirmed, the ministry added.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...a/3492128.html

[waltky]

Dengue vaccine could pose health risks...

Philippines launches probe into dengue vaccine scare
4 Dec.`17 - The Philippines has launched an investigation into the immunisation of 730,000 children with a dengue vaccine that could pose health risks.

Last week French drug company Sanofi announced its vaccine could worsen the potentially deadly disease in people not previously infected. The public immunisation programme was suspended on Friday. Dengue fever affects more than 400 million people each year around the world. The mosquito-borne disease is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian and Latin American countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Sanofi's Dengvaxia is the first-ever approved dengue vaccine. In addition to the Philippines, the company said the vaccine was registered in Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Singapore, Thailand and Venezuela. The vaccine has also been used in a public immunisation programme in Brazil which, combined with the Philippines scheme, has to date provided around one million people at least one dose of drug.

Dengue is a potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease

Sanofi said in a press conference on Monday that there had been no reported deaths related to its dengue vaccine in the Philippines. "As far as we know, as far as we are made aware, there are no reported deaths that are related to dengue vaccination," the company's medical director, Ruby Dizon, told reporters on Monday. "Of course, rest assured, monitoring is continuing, we are working with the department of health (DOH), in collaboration, to make sure this is maintained. "Philippine presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Monday that "people should not panic over the dengue vaccine" as the government was looking into the matter. Dengue is a viral infection which causes a severe, flu-like illness that can be fatal if it develops into its most serious form. The global incidence of dengue has risen dramatically in recent decades, according to the WHO, putting about half the world's population at risk of the disease.

WHO recommendation

Sanofi said last week that a new long-term study had shown that while the Dengvaxia vaccine worked with people who had prior infection, it posed a risk for those who hadn't. "For those not previously infected by dengue virus, the analysis found that in the longer term, more cases of severe disease could occur following vaccination upon a subsequent dengue infection," the company said in a statement. The French drug maker said it would ask health authorities to update the information given to doctors and patients working with the vaccine. In its latest advice on the vaccine, the WHO recommended that Dengvaxia should only be administered to "subjects that are known to have been infected with dengue prior to vaccination," pending a full review of the study.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42218612