tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post4331604125035553198..comments2024-03-28T10:36:04.929-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Bzzzzzz...Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-87445218174797708842016-08-31T10:49:00.490-04:002016-08-31T10:49:00.490-04:00Thank you for this post.
I was concerned about th...Thank you for this post.<br /><br />I was concerned about the Olympics athletes going to Rio, in what I call "Zika country". I was surprised the other day that none of them came back to the USA with the virus. I wonder if they got rid of the mosquitos in the Olympic village.<br /><br />DianaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39155548460910287322016-08-29T16:10:11.159-04:002016-08-29T16:10:11.159-04:00And don't you all wonder about the repellent i...And don't you all wonder about the repellent ingredients, and their possible cumulative effects? I've been using natural products, but they only work for a limited amount of time and need to be reapplied frequently. DEET stays effective for a long time, and they say it doesn't have any side effects, but I'm wary of that claim. Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002794561817071780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38545313366953168262016-08-29T12:33:28.582-04:002016-08-29T12:33:28.582-04:00Lysa MacKeen, thanks for your input. And I so agre...Lysa MacKeen, thanks for your input. And I so agree with your position. People should be paying attention to this, and the government should be funding research like crazy.<br /><br />I can never tell that the mosquito spraying in our neighborhood makes any difference. We keep bT (?) (mosquito dunks) in our pond and birdbath and any other standing water we can find, as well as spraying regularly with the Terminix, but it's amazing how easy it is to miss standing water even if you're careful.<br /><br />Julia, thanks so much for the well researched essay.Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-82120172263012461802016-08-29T12:28:23.661-04:002016-08-29T12:28:23.661-04:00Wow, I've learned a lot more about Zika today ...Wow, I've learned a lot more about Zika today from reading your post, Julia, and the comments. I had no idea it had been around for so long. One of the most surprising facts I learned was that Zika can be transmitted sexually. One of the scariest revelations is that it can affect adult brains. The focus seemed to be on how babies in utero can suffer severe deformities (most especially microcephaly). Even mothers with asymptomatic Zika can pass it on to their unborn babies. Now, the threat of Zika is sounding the alarm bells for all the population. With that figure in your post, Julia, of only 20% even showing symptoms of Zika when they were infected is devastating news to those trying to keep safe.<br /><br />I seem to be a mosquito magnet, so I do have personal concern over this disease. And, although my daughter is through having children, my son and his fiancee haven't begun. Like Karen, I live on the Ohio River, further west than Cincinnati, and like she said, it has been rather wet lately. This discussion today makes me want to go check around the yard for standing water. And, as Ann pointed out, what will the sprays do to our food and in turn to our health. I am going to skip the swamp tour, too, Kristopher. Since I am a magnet, I don't want to tempt fate. Kathy Reelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17004247271452356577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-74448899897461939752016-08-29T10:51:33.957-04:002016-08-29T10:51:33.957-04:00I think the scariest part is what we don't kno...I think the scariest part is what we don't know. At first it was unborn babies at risk now hints that it may affect adult brains in the long term. Imagine a huge upswing <br />In Alzheimer's in ten or twenty years. Authorrhysbowen@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11844065473614874365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-26478802421287476562016-08-29T10:39:13.857-04:002016-08-29T10:39:13.857-04:00Julia, thank you for your well-researched essay. T...Julia, thank you for your well-researched essay. This is such an important topic right now, and there's so much hair-on-fire reporting about it, isn't there? Long on panic, short on actual reasoning and facts. <br /><br />You wouldn't think Cincinnati would be a place to worry about such a thing as Zika, but we've had SO much rain this year, and last year, too. Just last night we had another 2 1/2-5 inches in the area, depending on the neighborhood, with record-setting flooding of roadways nowhere near floodplain areas. The potential for standing water almost everywhere is astronomical. <br /><br />Just here at our house, we have had an issue with mosquitoes for a long time. Our next-door neighbor has a neglected pond. It needs to be dredged to deepen the part closest to us, but before he passed away Bob was not well, and he didn't have the money to get anything done. Now the house has been empty for more than a year, and the situation has worsened exponentially. As much as I love my lovely and private front yard and patio, we haven't been able to sit on it for years because of the mosquitoes. Especially me, since I'm the one they go for the most. We were concerned about bird flu in the past few years, too, but luckily that didn't gain as much momentum as Zika has, nor so quickly. <br /><br />Whenever someone says they're for "smaller government" I want to bop them over the head and make them pay attention to the ramifications of not funding research into this kind of disease. That's exactly what tax dollars are meant to do: benefit all of society. Geez. Karen in Ohiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002794561817071780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-29290393575459450112016-08-29T09:39:56.181-04:002016-08-29T09:39:56.181-04:00
My step son and his wife have friends--a newlywed...<br />My step son and his wife have friends--a newlywed couple--who live in Miami. They are moving back to NYC for several months because she is pregnant. That is so frighteningly bleak...Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-32288653763076618002016-08-29T09:38:54.790-04:002016-08-29T09:38:54.790-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420701704169428286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-85619905475817060232016-08-29T09:28:30.920-04:002016-08-29T09:28:30.920-04:00Sigh - My worlds just collided in this post. In t...Sigh - My worlds just collided in this post. In the brief moments when I am not obsessed with books, I'm a global health research and education person. Zika has been on my radar for much longer because I am fortunate to work with those people who are trying to stay ahead of these things. This is a very scary disease, primarily because it is a multi-vector disease (people and insects) and the potential impacts of an infection may be life altering. Not to mention the fact that you can be infected and not realize it, creating risks to others in your life and your community. Finally - we don't yet really know how long it can live in the body past the initial infection. Terrifying on lots of levels. It is very easy to feel panicky or to want to do a little strategic hiding. The reality is that given the nature of the infection, there are going to be some areas where risk is higher but there will be NO areas that are going to be immune. We are a mobile population these days so we will continue to spread this around for a bit until we have a vaccine, a treatment or clearer information on prevention. There are lots of things that individuals can and should do to protect themselves - insect repellent, barrier methods of contraception, elimination of mosquito breeding areas and so forth. The most important thing, however, is to support research and to stay informed so that we can make changes where possible and still get to do the fun stuff when possible. I'll step away from my podium now....<br /><br />Lysa MacKeenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17181340298888540045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-5794092668723969052016-08-29T09:25:43.010-04:002016-08-29T09:25:43.010-04:00Living in Pittsburgh, Zika is not a big issue - ye...Living in Pittsburgh, Zika is not a big issue - yet. We don't have a lot of mosquitoes in our yard and I don't really travel.<br /><br />The Girl's boyfriend, however, did a service trip to Jamaica. He had to get a bunch of immunizations, but a couple days after he got back, he broke out in an awful rash. Fortunately it was determined to be allergic reaction, not Zika.<br /><br />She did, however, promise not to break up with him if he contracted the Zika virus. =)Liz Millironhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04919409969263609919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-52924221628092509852016-08-29T09:13:46.509-04:002016-08-29T09:13:46.509-04:00Like AIDS, like Ebola, no one in power gets excite...Like AIDS, like Ebola, no one in power gets excited and nothing gets done until the disease hits heterosexuals of northern European ancestry, especially if the afflicted include members of Congress or their families. <br /><br />That's a very long sentence for someone still on her first cup of coffee.<br /><br />We had a conversation about this last night, wondering what effect the wholesale elimination of mosquitos would have on the food chain. Or what daily sprays of DEET with do to humans? <br /><br />No easy answers. Going to get a coffee refill and think on these things.Ann in Rochesternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-8235979179533945902016-08-29T08:58:24.744-04:002016-08-29T08:58:24.744-04:00Zika is very scary. I have long thought that the &...Zika is very scary. I have long thought that the "end of the world" would come from some type of disease/virus/illness. While I don't think Zika will be "the one," seeing how it is spreading so quickly certainly gives pause. <br /><br />Like Deb, I am worried that we don't know the full effect on adults at this point. Seems like it sometimes takes years for them to find these links to other things, so who really knows what the danger really is? <br /><br />We opted to skip the swamp tour in New Orleans - when we are there for the upcoming Bouchercon. It was something I had wanted to do, but I just don't feel comfortable heading into the swamps (where I have to imagine mosquitoes are more common, though I don't really know that for sure).Kristopherhttp://www.bolobooks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-27799807363272161002016-08-29T08:46:14.280-04:002016-08-29T08:46:14.280-04:00Julia, thank you for this post -- so important and...Julia, thank you for this post -- so important and I had no idea of the history...Susan Elia MacNealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00349842866995778987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-964159845077497392016-08-29T08:40:16.786-04:002016-08-29T08:40:16.786-04:00If church, that's a good point. Also, the CDC ...If church, that's a good point. Also, the CDC warning includes an alert for men to wear condoms for at least 6 weeks after visiting The Hot Zone.Juliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09553268569509053159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-55190193937035875892016-08-29T08:30:53.389-04:002016-08-29T08:30:53.389-04:00One of the most frightening aspects of the disease...One of the most frightening aspects of the disease, for me, was the discovery that it could be sexually transmitted. What about all the young MALE athletes/reporters/fans who went to Rio? What about warnings to young men--any men--who have a sexual relationship with a woman of child-bearing age--don't go to certain parts of the Miami-Dade area? <br /><br />And it's not just climate change that is affecting the ability of viruses to jump to humans--people who are desperate for land, for an income (procuring and selling 'bush meat,' for example) are increasingly encroaching on habitats with widespread destruction of rainforests, etc.--putting large numbers of humans in places that have never had more than small, scattered bands of humans before--the potential human/nonhuman contact is growing exponentially--and with it, exposure to whatever viral load the nonhuman species may carry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-30374058501900132912016-08-29T06:06:18.552-04:002016-08-29T06:06:18.552-04:00Thanks for that summary of this terrifying disease...Thanks for that summary of this terrifying disease, Julia. I had no idea Zika had been around so long. The only thing I'm doing is staying nearby, glad for the small silver lining of our drought, as Hallie mentioned, and sending all speedy best wishes to scientists working on some kind of solution. Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37173944162093886232016-08-29T05:10:04.680-04:002016-08-29T05:10:04.680-04:00The news about this horrific disease is definitely...The news about this horrific disease is definitely frightening, especially when it seems as if what we know about it grows more and more alarming with each newscast. It’s effects are so devastating it’s hard to imagine anyone not being concerned about it. The way Zika burst into the world consciousness was mind-boggling; the rapid spread of the disease is almost as terrifying. <br />Although I’d have chosen to stay away, going or not going to Rio for the Olympics had to be an extremely difficult choice, especially for the athletes . . . .<br />Joan Emersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06810313925049108163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-63006342867893457762016-08-29T05:10:04.030-04:002016-08-29T05:10:04.030-04:00I live in South Florida, it is very, very frighten...I live in South Florida, it is very, very frightening here. We have had a wet summer - make that an unusually wet summer, even for the tropics, so lots of standing water, lots of mosquitoes. We hear the spray trucks more than we usually do, but it hasn't seemed to dampen the enthusiasm of the little biters. My heart goes out to young families, those exposed and those living in fear of exposure. I think Debs is right, we won't know the consequences on adults for years to come.Kaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758348842858993203noreply@blogger.com