The carelessness of our public health authorities over the Zika virus has disappointed me immensely this past year. And just when I thought there would be some signs of remorse, WHO's director-general, Dr. Margaret Chan, blamed the vector control strategies of countries in southeast Asia.
It's déjà vu: another UK study pointing to the weather - instead of the WHO and CDC - as the reason the Zika virus is spreading. Early in 2016, Wellcome Trust and Oxford U scientists (funded by Bill Gates and others) assured us there was a miniscule chance of anyone becoming infected with the Zika virus at the Rio Summer Olympics.
No surprise: money is probably at the root of why the public (and many in the scientific community) are ignoring, omitting, or downplaying the fact that the Zika virus is found in birds. Forty-five years ago, 15 percent of birds studied in Uganda were found to be reservoir hosts of the Zika virus.
After researching and publishing "Zika: The Warnings About Wolbachia and Culex Our Health Authorities are Ignoring" on InfoBarrel (under my pen name RoseWrites), I thought I'd design a poster highlighting the risks associated with Wolbachia-based mosquito control. I'm aware that California already released 640,000 Wolbachia-Infected Aedes aegypti as "part of an experiment" during the summer of 2016.
After researching the Zika virus extensively and publishing "Birds as Reservoir Hosts of Zika: What You Are Not Being Told" on InfoBarrel (under my pen name, RoseWrites), I decided to create a few products to match the handy tote bag I designed (in support of Zika research and/or tern conservation efforts).
After researching and publishing "Wolbachia-Infected Mosquitoes Might Reduce Dengue, Enhance Zika, and Cause a Million Souls to Become Sterile" on InfoBarrel (under my pen name RoseWrites), I thought I'd design a poster highlighting where Wolbachia enters the food chain. In Nova Scotia, roseate tern populations are crashing and thousands of dead herring have washed up on the beaches.
After researching and publishing "Wolbachia-Infected Mosquitoes Might Reduce Dengue, Enhance Zika, and Cause a Million Souls to Become Sterile" on InfoBarrel (under my pen name RoseWrites), I thought I'd design a poster highlighting the risks associated with Wolbachia-based mosquito control. I'm aware that California already released 640,000 Wolbachia-Infected Aedes aegypti as "part of an experiment" during the summer of 2016.
After researching the Zika virus extensively and publishing "Birds as Reservoir Hosts of Zika: What You Are Not Being Told" on InfoBarrel (under my pen name, RoseWrites), I decided to create a couple of T-shirts and this handy tote bag in support of Zika research and/or tern conservation efforts.
Over the past few days, I've been shocked to see and hear obvious attempts to downplay Zika's similarities to West Nile virus. And what I discovered sent chills up my spine. It's possible that a seemingly harmless mosquito control method (using the bacterium Wolbachia) could enhance the Zika virus in Culex mosquitoes.
A handy poster to help identify the key differences between Aedes and Culex mosquitoes. Discounts apply when you purchase more than three posters. Eradication methods differ greatly for controlling Aedes and Culex mosquitoes, so it's crucial that health departments and the public are aware of these mosquitoes and their behaviors.