Zika and mosquitoes?
Zika virus has been making the headlines. It's safe to say that most of us have heard about the Zika virus in from one news source or another but, what is it, where does it come from and how is it being contracted?
Is Zika transmitted from mosquitoes passing the virus? Is that as accurate as it is being portrayed to be? An article published in the New York Times brought to light that of the nearly 1,000 cases of Zika reported in New York City, not one was transmitted by mosquito, but rather picked up elsewhere or transmitted sexually.
As it turns out, the most large-scale transmission of Zika has been sexual. Naturopathic doctor, Christopher Maloney writes in his book "Zika Virus When You're Expecting" that many infected mosquitoes do not transmit to humans, nor do they travel more than 400 meters from their birthplace, so infected adult mosquitoes do not grow or multiply rapidly enough to explain the outbreaks. He note, the CDC continues to maintain a focus on mosquito transmission rather than avoidance of unprotected sex.
Zika is also known for causing birth defects, right? Well, the media has been conveying statistics left and right about the dangers of Zika to infants but it may not necessarily be the case. The highest outbreak seen for Zika was the Pacific Island Outbreak, which reported a birth defect rate of 1%. Over reporting of the risk of birth defect could hold serious consequences and unnecessarily terrify mothers. However it is smart to remain cautious!
Just because mosquitoes may not be the highest cause of risk for Zika, they do potentially carry other viruses like West Nile.
