Thursday, September 15, 2016

September 15, 2016
By Jesi Munguia

Left is Zika rash on an arm.


The Centers for Disease Control (click here) says there are 45 confirmed cases of the Zika virus right here in Michigan.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says Michigan is still considered low risk for the mosquito transmission of Zika.
The health department says the main risk of transmission in the state is from traveling to infected areas, or through sexual transmission.
Symptoms of the Zika virus are not considered severe, but can cause birth defects to pregnant women exposed to the virus.
Stay with Northern Michigan's News Leader as we work to bring you more information on exactly where these cases have been confirmed.

It may be that one in four residents in Puerto Rico is destined to be a victim of the Zika virus.

September 15, 2016
By Michael Kuhne

With more than a thousand new cases (click here) of Zika reported in Puerto Rico for the first week of September, the numbers of those infected may rise even higher as the U.S. territory enters its fall rainy season.

Between Aug. 26 and Sept. 2, there were 1,024 new positive cases of Zika reported in Puerto Rico, according Candice Burns Hoffmann, a press officer with the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.

"These reflect just diagnosed cases," she said. "Because many people with Zika don't have symptoms, the number of people who have contacted Zika is likely much higher."


September 15, 2016

Tropical Storm Julia will linger (click here) and bring gusty winds, rough surf and showers to the coastal Carolinas into this weekend.

"The center of Julia has wandered over the Atlantic Ocean," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said.

While Julia remains weak, the combination of east to southeast winds and the full moon will cause minor to moderate coastal flooding at times of high tide through the end of the week.

The greatest risk of coastal flooding and beach erosion stretches from near Charleston, South Carolina, to Wilmington, North Carolina.

The lack of resolve to this virus is going to increase monies spent on disabilities and supportive services. This is the most hideous Congress that has ever existed. There is no loyalty to the people. You know, Americans. Women are going to want contraception and abortions. They will seek all that out anyway and Planned Parenthood is one of the best organizations without conflict of interest to religious priorities.

The time is now to allow women to make their decisions about childbearing. NOW!

September 15, 2016
By Newsday Editorial Board

...Congress is stalemated over a $1.1 billion plan (click here) to fight the mosquito-borne virus. Not because anyone disagrees about the need to keep alive a clinical trial to test a vaccine that’s about to run out of money. Not because they don’t want better and more accurate tests for Zika, more thorough mosquito-spraying programs, or more public education on how to reduce one’s risk of getting Zika.

The fight is over a Republican attempt to make sure that Planned Parenthood gets none of the funding for maternal care and contraception, important issues for a virus linked to severe fetal birth defects and one that can be transmitted sexually. The GOP inserted a poison pill, the Democrats spit it out, and Zika rages on.

Since President Barack Obama requested emergency funding in February, the nation has learned that Zika is spread not only by mosquito bites but also through blood transfusions, semen and, perhaps, via contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids. We’re learning Zika also could affect adult brains and impair memory. We know that the 50 states have reported nearly 3,000 cases, 43 of which were acquired in Florida. More than 15,000 cases were reported in Puerto Rico. We know mosquito season in the Gulf Coast lasts through October. Some experts look at Zika’s rapid spread and the lack of scientific knowledge and see similarities with the start of the AIDS epidemic....