zika

Nuked bees, down on the farm and psychedelic research + this day in history w/Mountain Meadows massacre and our song of the day by Drive-By Truckers on your Morning Monarchy for September 7, 2016.

We have known that the Zika virus could cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, but we’re just now seeing a concerning spike in parts of the world where Zika is known to inhabit. In Venezuela alone, the disease has increased by 877%. [1]

Zika is spreading its wings and flying far beyond Latin America. With international travel so prevalent nowadays, it would clearly only be a matter of time before the virus took root all over the world. Singapore is the latest country to experience outbreaks of Zika, with reports confirming that 150 people have been infected with the virus. [1]

It is already known that Zika can tragically affect the lives of babies born to mothers infected with the virus. Now new research suggests that the virus may affect adult brains as well. [1]
Previously, it was thought that Zika was similar to the flu virus, in that unless the infected person was pregnant, it would pass within a few days. However, research on mice suggests that this may not be the case.

With the threat of the Zika virus passing on life-altering birth defects to children of infected mothers, scientists have taken to studying the human placenta with the National Institutes of Health’s $50 million Human Placenta Project. What is often simply dismissed as “afterbirth” is actually quite helpful in discovering the causes of diseases and other genetic risk factors that can potentially hurt the fetus. [1]

While it has been confirmed that Zika has been spread in the United States by homegrown mosquitoes, there is now confirmation that a case of the much-discussed virus has spread from Florida to Texas.
An unidentified traveler tested positive for the Zika virus after going on a vacation to Miami. Therefore, it is impossible to tell if this is actually the very first time a Texan traveler who has gone to Florida has contracted the virus and returned home with it. [1]

Portland Public fools, GMO mosquitoes and baby chimeras + this day in history w/Agent Orange and our song of the day by the Pixies on your Morning Monarchy for August 10, 2016.

Florida is having a difficult time controlling the Zika virus, as the state has trouble controlling mosquitoes in general. Although the number of locally-transmitted Zika causes has risen from four to 16, there are still many stumbling blocks in the way of curbing a rise in numbers.

New estimates have shown that around 1.65 million women in Latin America could become infected with Zika while they are pregnant, with Brazil carrying the highest number of all. This comes from new research from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and the University of Notre Dame.

It seems the Zika virus is showing no signs of slowing in Brazil, where researchers have found that the virus is present even in many house mosquitoes. These mosquitoes, known as Culex, are the most common and have been spotted in the city of Recife. While it has been confirmed that Culex are carrying the potentially deadly virus, scientists say that more studies need to be done in order to determine if the Culex can indeed spread the virus. [1]