Why we will Fail the Fight Against Zika (Pity our Children)

I hope the title has encouraged you to read this article. It is not meant to be pessimistic but a realistic look at our current situation. The opinions expressed here are personal and do not reflect those of the organisation I work with. As we stand today as a nation, with our poor health behaviours, the Zika epidemic that is coming (if not already here) will hit us hard. The following realities or facts are the reason for my statement: 1. The Zika virus is spread mainly by infected Aedes mosquitoes and also by sexual transmission. Our nation is rich with Aedes mosquitoes. 2. The virus is new to us, we are not immune to it, there is no definitive drug to treat it and any vaccine will take a few years to be developed and tested. 3. Most importantly we have failed as a nation in our fight against Dengue, and the same mosquito vectors carry Zika. Dengue may kill, but if you recover you become well again. Zika will maim and cause significant disability, especially to unborn children. And as we are still not immune to it, large numbers have the potential to be infected. Imagine all our children that may become disabled as a result of this virus. The numbers from countries struggling with the Zika virus are frightening, even to me as a medical consultant. Current evidence suggests that between 15-20% of infected pregnant mothers will have a baby with brain damage, especially in early pregnancy. We may want to believe that we can prevent Zika from reaching Malaysia but that...
Source: Malaysian Medical Resources - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: - Guest - Nation Aedes dengue Zika Source Type: blogs