This is my #Zika post. There are many like it, but this is mine.
It may seem like everyone is beating a dead horse with Zika, but we need to keep beating this dead horse until it is deader than a graduate student’s hopes and dreams. Why? Because when the public is engaged, research and mosquito control dollars follow.
As of right now, there are more mosquito experts within 1 mile of me than anywhere else in the world. I’m in Savannah Georgia at the 82nd annual American Mosquito Control Association conference. I know all of these Culicid gurus are going to be talking about Zika even though there is only ONE talk on it that turned up after a quick search through the program. (EDIT after the first day, more people have been invited to talk about Zika and a lot of people have been incorporating the virus into their talks). It’s not anyone’s fault; the program became finalized in the late summer while Zika only started making headlines recently. It is amazing how quickly a relatively obscure mosquito-borne virus can become a household term in a matter of months.
If you haven’t heard of the Zika virus by now, you’ve probably been living under a rock. It’s all over the news, social media, etc, and us mosquito people are doing our best to get reliable information out there about what we know, and importantly, what we don’t know. I’m split between being pumped that the spotlight is firmly on my science, and exasperated about how badly the media and others can so royally screw this up.
Before I continue, here are links to catch those up that need it:
Short Answers to Hard Questions About Zika Virus http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/health/what-is-zika-virus.html
Joe from @Ask an entomologist https://askentomologists.com/2016/01/29/so-whats-the-deal-with-zika-virus-whats-going-on-in-brazil/
Be wary of anyone who says they are a Zika expert, because I’ll be honest, there really are no Zika experts. The reason is not unique. No one seemed to care about it until this latest epidemic. And when I say no one cared about it, I mean no one really wanted to fund the research. That is quickly changing. President Obama has called for money to be set-aside for it, and many of the major grant funding agencies have called for white papers. There are also even vaccines being developed. It’s a damn fast turn around for something like this, and it’s great it’s happening, but also sad we are so far behind.
Because we know so little about Zika, there are now people who speculate and cast aspersions on medical and scientific communities. Maybe some are fair, but many are not. The situation in Brazil where children are born with smaller heads with incomplete brain development generates an immediate emotional response (link to Zika still needs more research). With this emotional response comes fear. And with fear comes sensationalized headlines. And with a general lack of understanding, fear, sensationalized headlines, the conspiracy theorists come slithering out of the woodwork. The target now: Oxitec’s genetically modified mosquitoes.
I was going to dedicate an entire post to why it is impossible that GE mosqitoes are responsible for the spike in microcephaly cases, but many others have beaten me to it and done a great job. GE mosquitoes are not a danger to human health. They are not a danger to ecosystems. They are a tool that will be used to combat horrible vector-borne diseases like Zika and the other flaviviruses; CHIKV, dengue, and YFV. They are used to crash populations and do not perpetuate in the environment. Get on-board, because I have a feeling they will be coming to a mosquito-infested locale near you. This is a good thing.
GE mosquitoes from Oxitec are a great tool. They are species specific. Only the mosquitoes they want to die will die and only males are released, so none of them will bite you. And even if one does, they are not more toxic or allergic than a non-GE mosquito. Unlike other forms of mosquito-control non-target species like bees are not accidentally killed. And lastly, these are the mosquitoes that have adapted to us. The species of predators that may feed on them will not be impacted. And if you have legitimate questions, I suggest you reach out to some of the experts directly. @Oxitec has a great Facebook page.
Here are some people who have efficiently debunked the garbage conspiracy theory that GE mosquitoes cause microcephaly and are linked to the Zika outbreak. Woo, go Christie!
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/science-sushi/2016/01/31/genetically-modified-mosquitoes-didnt-start-zika-ourbreak/
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/04/alert-theres-a-dangerous-new-viral-outbreak-zika-conspiracy-theories
The current Zika situation really shouldn't be a surprise. The microcephaly link was a surprise, but the arrival of the virus isn't. If an area has the climate, the vectors, the reservoirs, and is regularly visited by travelers, it’s probably just a matter of time before a pathogen arrives. Every year we have imported cases of malaria, dengue, CHIKV etc. all it takes is the right combination and a pathogen stays and becomes endemic. Wonder what that’s like? Check out West Nile Virus. Luckily with things like CHIKV and Zika, they aren’t perpetuated in nature by wild animals like birds. Possibly monkeys, but we obviously do not have those in North America.
The bottom line is we need to continue to talk about Zika. We have a unique opportunity to support the science moving in the right direction while the public eye is firmly focused our way. It’s exciting, but be patient with people who have questions. We are all in this together. I’ll continue to post the latest Zika news!
- Jake
And more reading if you’re bored:
‘Zika isn’t important': The infuriating case of a scientist’s search for funding. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/02/03/can-you-get-zika-during-sex-this-scientist-has-been-trying-to-answer-that-for-years/
Obama calls for rapid Zika research as virus seen spreading http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-usa-idUSKCN0V42FK
‘Zika isn’t important': The infuriating case of a scientist’s search for funding. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/02/03/can-you-get-zika-during-sex-this-scientist-has-been-trying-to-answer-that-for-years/
How to keep mosquitoes away: Natural (most) and homemade repellents without the correct active ingredients, do NOT work. https://www.facebook.com/RelaxImAnEntomologist/photos/a.366185656790630.85941.356509487758247/462139207195274/?type=3&theater
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/01/30/464740275/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-mosquitoes-from-biting









