Experts Admit Zika Threat Fraud
By Dr. Mercola
Global Research, June 07, 2016
We’re in
the midst of prime mosquito season for much of the U.S. While the exact
beginning and end of mosquito season are debatable, The Washington Post
recently used Google search data to pinpoint the shape of mosquito season in
the U.S.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn11
Presumably,
Google searchers for mosquitoes increase as mosquitoes ramp
up their activity
in any given area. Using this premise, The Washington Post found that mosquito
searchers shoot up in May and increase steadily through July, then drop off
throughout the coming fall and winter months.
In the
U.S., mosquito season is viewed as more of an itchy nuisance than a health
threat, but that has changed somewhat this year, at least perceptually.
Fears of
Zika virus, which some believe may be associated with suspected cases of the
birth defect microcephaly, started in Brazil and have quickly spread throughout
the U.S. But are such fears warranted?
Experts Admit Zika Threat Risk ‘Near Zero’
The U.S.
House of Representatives passed a bill that would provide $622 million to fight
Zika virus. Yet, by White House estimates, this is “woefully inadequate.”
They’ve recommended directing $1.9
billion to fight this latest declared public health emergency
But mosquito experts are questioning the extent of
emergency that actually exists. Chris Barker, Ph.D. a mosquito-borne virus
researcher at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary
Medicine, told WebMD:http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
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“I think
the risk for Zika actually setting up transmission cycles that become
established in the continental U.S. is near zero.”
Barker expects Zika to go the way of other tropical
diseases spread by mosquitoes, such as dengue fever and chikungunya, in the
U.S. with perhaps small clusters of outbreaks in southern states and little
activity elsewhere.
Even in the Florida Keys (Florida, along with
Louisiana and Texas, is said to be one of the states most at risk of
mosquito-borne illnesses), the Monroe County Tourist Development Council
reported:http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn33
“Dengue
fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses are currently not a health threat in the
Florida Keys including Key West …
There has
never been a report of a locally acquired case of chikungunya or Zika anywhere
in the Florida Keys, according to officials at the Florida Department of Health
in Monroe County.”
No Locally Transmitted Cases of Zika Virus Reported in U.S.
As of May 25, 2016, Zika has not been spread by
mosquitoes anywhere in the continental U.S.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn44 Calls to control the Aedes
mosquitoes, which may carry Zika, have increased nonetheless, including in New
York state, where experts say the risk of local transmission is low.
Laura Harrington, Ph.D., chair of Entomology at
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York told WebMD:http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn55
“Here in
New York state, there’s been a lot of pressure placed on mosquito-control
districts to do as much as they can. And, they’re really strapped for
resources, and there’s not a huge risk of transmission … ”
Maps released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) show it’s possible for Aedes mosquitoes to travel as far
north as New York, Ohio, Kansas, Missouri and California. According to
Harrington, the maps are inaccurate and causing unnecessary hysteria.
Harrington continued:http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
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“They’re
showing this mosquito in places where there’s no way you’re going to find them
… It’s really unfortunate, because it’s causing a lot of hysteria in places
where people should be focusing on other health issues, like Lyme disease.”
GE Mosquitoes to Fight Zika Virus?
Biotech company Oxitec has created genetically
engineered (GE) mosquitoes that carry a “genetic kill switch.” When they mate
with wild female mosquitoes, their offspring inherit the lethal gene and cannot
survive.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn77
To achieve this feat, Oxitec has inserted protein
fragments from the herpes virus, E. coli bacteria, coral and cabbage into the
insects. The GE mosquitoes have proven lethal to native mosquito populations.
In the Cayman Islands, for instance, 96 percent of
native mosquitoes were suppressed after more than 3 million GE mosquitoes were
released in the area, with similar results reported in Brazil.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
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Oxitec is seeking to release the GE mosquitoes in the
U.S. to fight Zika, but as pointed out by Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National
School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston to USA
Today, the GE mosquitoes have not been shown to reduce rates of diseases such
as Zika.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn99
The GE mosquitoes may also prove to be too expensive
for areas that are plagued
with mosquito-borne diseases.
Environmental red flags have also been raised. The
potential exists for these foreign genes, which hop from one place to another,
to infect human blood by finding entry through skin lesions or inhaled dust.
Such transmission could potentially wreak havoc with
the human genome by creating “insertion mutations” and other unpredictable
types of DNA damage.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn1010
And according to Todd Shelly, an entomologist for the
Agriculture Department in Hawaii, 3.5 percent of the GE insects in a laboratory
test survived to adulthood despite presumably carrying the lethal gene.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn1111
It’s important to remember, too, that Oxitec wants
emergency approval based on the supposed threat of a disease that has yet to
have even one locally transmitted case.
Biotech Company Calls for ‘Emergency Approval’ of Controversial GE
Mosquitoes
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
agreed with an environmental assessment submitted by Oxitechttp://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn1212 and stated that GE mosquitoes
will not have a significant impact on the environment. Technically, this is
referred to as a “finding of no significant impact” (FONSI).http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
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The FDA’s report is only preliminary, but Oxitec
wants the FDA to throw caution to the wind and give the GE mosquitoes emergency
approval in order to fight the Zika virus.
If approved, Oxitec, in partnership with the Florida
Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD), plans to release the GE mosquitoes,
which go by the name of OX513A, in Key Haven, Florida, an island of the Florida
Keys located about 1 mile east of Key West.
More than 270,000 people have submitted comments
criticizing the FDA’s environmental assessment, and numerous environmental
groups are calling for the agency to conduct a more thorough review of the GE
mosquitoes’ risks. Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water
Watch, said:http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
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“The FDA
really missed the mark on this one … The agency seems so eager to speed the
process along that they have failed to do a real review of the potential risks,
and are ignoring widespread concern in the community where the release will
happen.”
No Permits Required to Spray Near Water
A Clean Water Act permit is generally required to
spray pesticides in areas where they might end up in water. The permit is
intended to keep the toxic chemicals from contaminating water, but now the Zika
virus has been used as an excuse to do away with this common-sense precaution.
The language was inserted into the Zika Vector
Control Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives. It would exempt
pesticide applicators from needing a Clean Water Act permit, even when spraying
near water.
Critics argued the bill would do little to help fight
Zika virus, since mosquito-control agencies already have authority to apply
pesticides in emergency situations to prevent the spread of infectious disease
without applying for permits.
Opponents say the bill has nothing to do with
combatting Zika and, instead has been on the table for years, with the majority
pushing for its passage “under whatever name” was convenient at the time.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn1515
Aerial Mosquito Spraying Linked to Increased Risk of Autism
Greed is pushing for a number of potentially
dangerous “solutions” to combat mosquitoes and related diseases. By removing
requirements for permits when spraying pesticides near water, it’s likely the
use of these chemicals will skyrocket, including via aerial spraying.
Unfortunately, many may suffer as a result. In
research presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2016 Meeting, aerial pesticide
exposure was linked to an increased risk of developmental delays and autism
spectrum disorder among children.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
- _edn1616 The study compared children
living in zip codes where aerial pesticide spraying was used each summer to
combat mosquitoes that carry the eastern equine encephalitis virus, with
children living in non-aerial-spraying zip codes.
Children exposed to the aerial pesticide spraying
were about 25 percent more likely to be diagnosed with autism or have a
documented developmental delay than those living in areas that used other
methods of pesticide application (such as manual spreading of granules).
If authorities use the supposed threat of Zika to
increase aerial spraying, it could increase children’s risk of brain disorders,
which is the opposite of what anti-Zika campaigns are supposed to achieve.
Are There Other Potential Explanations for an Increase in Microcephaly?
It’s possible Zika-carrying mosquitoes could be
involved in suspected cases of microcephaly, but there are other factors that
should be considered as well. For starters, the outbreak occurred in a largely
poverty-stricken agricultural area of Brazil that uses large amounts of banned
pesticides.
Between these factors and the lack of sanitation and
widespread vitamin A and zinc deficiency, you already have the basic framework
for an increase in poor health outcomes among newborn infants in that area.
Environmental pollution and toxic pesticide exposure have been positively
linked to a wide array of adverse health effects, including birth defects. For
instance:
- Vitamin A deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of microcephaly
- The CDC lists malnutrition and exposure to toxic chemicals as known risk factors
- The CDC also notes certain infections during pregnancy, including rubella, cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, and others are risk factors
Natural Ways to Repel Mosquitoes
Many experts agree that the threat of an epidemic
outbreak of Zika virus on continental U.S. soil is virtually nonexistent. So
you needn’t go dousing your backyard in chemicals in an attempt to stay safe
from the Zika virus (whose connection to birth defects is still being
explored). If however, mosquitoes are bothersome for you, there are some steps you
can take to encourage them to live elsewhere.
Draining standing water, including pet bowls,
gutters, garbage and recycling bins, spare tires, bird baths, children’s toys
and so on, is important. This is where mosquitoes breed, so if you eliminate
standing water you’ll eliminate many mosquitoes. Planting marigolds around your
yard also works as a bug repellent because the flowers give off a fragrance
that bugs do not like. This is a great way to ward off mosquitoes without using
chemical insecticides.
A simple house fan could also help keep mosquitoes at
bay if you’re having a get-together in your backyard or, for a longer-term
solution, try installing a bat house (bats are voracious consumers of insects,
especially mosquitoes).
It’s best to avoid using
bug zappers in your yard, as these may actually attract more mosquitoes while
killing beneficial insects. Insect foggers designed to clear insects out of
your backyard should also be avoided, as they require the use of strong,
potentially harmful, pesticides and don’t offer lasting protection.
Even those clip-on repellents and fans that are
widely sold are best avoided, as they contain even more toxic ingredients than
repellents that can be applied to your skin, and they pose an inhalation
hazard.http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx
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Some experts also recommend supplementing with one vitamin
B1 tablet a day from April through October, and then adding 100
mg of B1 to a B-100 Complex daily during the mosquito season to make you less attractive to
mosquitoes. Regularly consuming garlic may also help protect against
mosquito bites, as may the following natural insect repellants:
- Cinnamon leaf oil (one study found it was more effective at killing mosquitoes than DEEThttp://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx - _edn1818)
- Clear liquid vanilla extract mixed with olive oil
- Wash with citronella soap, and then put some 100 percent pure citronella essential oil on your skin. Java citronella is considered the highest quality citronella on the market
- Catnip oil (according to one study, this oil is 10 times more effective than DEEThttp://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/06/07/zika-virus-threat.aspx - _edn1919)
The original source of this article is Mercola.com
Copyright © Dr. Mercola, Mercola.com
, 2016
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