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Predicted
spread of Zika virus-carrying mosquito in the U.S.
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When
we first heard about the Zika virus we were concerned that it would
quickly spread in Hawaii’s tropical climate, like dengue fever recently has on the Big Island, and
become a major health issue in the state. According to our research, the
worst case scenario for Zika is pretty dire.
Zika
is not only linked to the serious birth defect microcephaly (abnormally small
skull), it is also linked to Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder in
adults that can cause paralysis. For those who are healthy and not pregnant,
they may get by with no symptoms or only experience mild, flu-like symptoms.
Although
the disease seems far away, we have growing concerns after the CDC reported 157 pregnant women in the U.S. have tested positive for Zika and over 300
others have been infected primarily from trips outside the county.
Unfortunately,
the Zika carrying mosquito, Aedes aegypti, likes warm, wet weather like we have
in Hawaii. They breed in flower pots, tires, trash and small pools of water and
live in and around homes which makes traditional evening insecticide fogging from sprayers mounted on trucks useless. The Aedes aegypti's
eggs can even dry out and cling to surfaces and come back to life
during the next rain. The Aedes requires indoor and outdoor spraying and both
the adult insects and larvae have to be killed to get rid of it.
The
virus has already spread rapidly on the tropical island of Puerto Rico
and is expected to reach the southern U.S. states as their warm, wet weather
arrives. Although, the Zika carrying mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is not common in
the northern states, like New York, they have, Aedes albopictus, another
mosquito thought capable of carrying Zika. If we get warm, wet weather this
year, much of the U.S. population may be affected by the virus.
Thus
far congress has not provided the $2B funds requested by President Obama to
protect against a Zika epidemic. State funds are short for mosquito
spraying and the Aedes requires high-touch, door-to-door spraying to eradicate.
The concentration of people from all over the world in Brazil this summer for
the Olympics has many concerned that it will even more rapidly spread the Zika virus world-wide.
So
far, the only victims of the Zika virus in Hawaii contracted it outside the
state. At this point it seems likely that the virus will spread to the U.S. mainland before
Hawaii. But if the virus spreads as predicted, it is only a matter of time
before it gets to Hawaii and much of the rest of the world with potentially
catastrophic effects to us all.
