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Same breed of mosquito which also carries Zika and few other diseases. These Dengue cases were locally acquired in Florida. I suppose this is why that British company wanted to release those GMO mosquitoes a few years ago here? I never heard on my local Florida news about these Dengue cases, or the releasing of those mosquitoes. Maybe the locals didn't want to scare away the tourists and snowbirds with just a couple of cases? As this article states, we run A/C almost the entire year in South Florida and have screened in lanais where our pools are. Big difference than in those other countries, but the local joke is that the Mosquito is the State Bird.
That vaccine manufacturer, Sador, has a vaccine for Dengue, and West Nile, in human trials right now. They issued a statement that they may be able to "tweek" it for Zika by October. So who will this vaccine be slated for? Everyone who lives or travels to a tropical climate (including Florida)? All pregnant women??
So now we have the first confirmed case of the Zika virus being sexually transmitted. It isn't really known what the long term health consequences are.
Dallas County has reported its first known case of the fast-spreading Zika virus, which is suspected of causing a wave of birth defects in Brazil.
But the Dallas County resident, who remains anonymous, caught the disease not from an insect but through sexual contact with someone who had visited a Zika-endemic country, according to county health director Zachary Thompson. That’s not a medical precedent, but it’s a little unusual.
DCHHS Reports First Zika Virus Case in Dallas County
Acquired Through Sexual Transmission
DALLAS (Feb. 2, 2016) – Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) has received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the first Zika virus case acquired through sexual transmission in Dallas County in 2016. The patient was infected with the virus after having sexual contact with an ill individual who returned from a country where Zika virus is present. For medical confidentiality and personal privacy reasons, DCHHS does not provide additional identifying information.
time to invest in mosquito repellent manufacturer stock.
"Mosquitoes, in the end, don't contribute much to society"
so many emerging or re-emerging pathogens have mosquito vectors.
they now believe that the Asian tiger mosquito, which is very widespread now, can probably serve as a zika vector. that would be bad news.
Quote:
Scientists believe Aedes albopictus, or the Asian tiger mosquito, also is capable of spreading Zika. This aggressive biter arrived in the United States in 1985 and has replaced Aedes aegypti in some places. Its range includes at least 32 U.S. states as far north as Illinois and Pennsylvania and in pockets as far west as California. Zika mosquitoes’ habits may foil U.S. elimination efforts
Well, why would we hear about it if it doesn't pose a risk to our health in the US? There are plenty of diseases endemic to plenty of areas, the US included. But once vector-borne diseases endemic to certain areas start traveling to others, where they can infect animals or insects leading to infecting humans, it creates a big problem. And when a disease as potent and deadly as Ebola, for example, jumps Africa and winds up here, leaving Africa for the first time, that's a huge problem. We were thankfully able to get it under control, as were other countries outside of Africa where it popped up (UK and Spain).
Africa is a largely poor continent with many tropical areas, thus many uncontrollable tropical diseases. No matter how much money we throw at them, it doesn't seem to help things. Poverty and corruption = poor living conditions, a place where diseases endemic to the region can and do spread easily. It's sad, but it's not as if scientists aren't working there every day to fight some of the worst illnesses. Look at the work done to help prevent malaria and TB from spreading in places like Africa and other poverty-stricken regions. Doctors without Borders work all the time to help people. Research into cures and vaccines for Ebola has been ongoing for decades, research into Ebola itself has been ongoing for decades. The medical and science communities pay attention even though the local news here may not. And anyone who travels to an area at high risk of dangerous diseases is made aware of the risks, what to do to prevent it, and gets a cocktail of vaccinations and meds prior to leaving, ideally. But again, once these deadly or otherwise dangerous diseases leave their natural areas, it becomes an issue, one that people deserve to know about.
Look at bird flu. How often are there outbreaks in China, even here, among bird populations? But once a strain infects a human, it becomes a huge problem, understandably. People start worrying, internationally, there's a buzz. Because a flu is so contagious, humans around the world have no shot and we're all in trouble if just one person from China carries it via airplane into another country. It IS a problem when dangerous illnesses spread from their endemic areas. It doesn't mean we don't care about them when they're at home in Africa, minding their own business, but don't pretend it's not a huge and alarming situation when mosquitoes in the Caribbean, and Central and South America, start to come up with the virus and infect people.
We should be more concerned about all of these viruses. We have military people stationed all over the world, including quite a few now rotating in and out of countries in Africa.
The possibilities for transmission are endless.
There isn't any known direct person to person transmission vector for Zika. There is the suspicion that there may be a sexual transmission vector but it is not confirmed. All research points to direct infection by an infected mosquito. As you note, this is unlikely in NY, in winter.
Maybe. But in the rush to throw PIV sex (and men) under the bus, it appears that no one is looking closely at whether or not women can have Zika in their saliva (or men for that matter) and transmit the virus through intimate kissing.
FIt has started, with genetically altered male mosquitoes that cannot produce viable offspring.
They're "essentially" sterile, which is not to say they're absolutely sterile. 3-4 percent of their offspring survive. Under the right conditions, up to 15 percent of the offspring of Oxitec's genetically-modified male mosquitos will be viable.
That vaccine manufacturer, Sador, has a vaccine for Dengue, and West Nile, in human trials right now. They issued a statement that they may be able to "tweek" it for Zika by October. So who will this vaccine be slated for? Everyone who lives or travels to a tropical climate (including Florida)? All pregnant women??
Scott Weaver (Univ. of Texas) says its "3 to 4 years before a Zika vaccine is available to the public". There may as well not be a vaccine. Millions upon millions will have been exposed by then. The immediate response everytime a new virus or bacteria appears is to ramp up R&D on a vaccine. A vaccine that will take years to reach market. Why bother. Zika has been around since 1947. It is inexcusable that only now is there any response from Big Pharma. Whatever millions might be shunted to the pharma labs should be given instead to the people looking into reduce mosquito populations, or the makers of insect repellents. Effective mosquito repellent can be nasty stuff. If I was pregnant I wouldn't want it anywhere near my developing baby. Maybe if we gave Johnson & Johnson enough money they could come up with something less toxic, but 100% effective. Hmmm maybe we should give Toms of Maine (tm) 5 million to see what they can do
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There are plenty of diseases endemic to plenty of areas, the US included. But once vector-borne diseases endemic to certain areas start traveling to others, where they can infect animals or insects leading to infecting humans, it creates a big problem. And when a disease as potent and deadly as Ebola, for example, jumps Africa and winds up here, leaving Africa for the first time, that's a huge problem. We were thankfully able to get it under control, as were other countries outside of Africa where it popped up (UK and Spain). 
