Howdy guys,
I've been so busy with so many things lately that I haven't posted on the Message Board much lately. I do check it and look at posts here, but I seldom have time to write. Knowing myself too well, when I write I often write at length.
Anyhow, I'd seen that no one had posted anything about the Zika virus. I thought I should bring it up since it's Mardi Gras and Carnival season and of course, Zika is epidemic just now in Brazil. But there's more.
Earlier this week my local news here in Houston led off with the story that a Zika virus case was found in Texas, actually in Dallas, which had been acquired through sexual transmission. Later that evening, a national news report talked about a possible link between Zika and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). The possible Zika-GBS connection had been
previously reported in January, but most media attention was on the greater danger to pregnant women whose babies were born with microcephaly. Different sources report it is being investigated by the CDC and by agencies in Brazil, Colombia, and Ecuador.
Zika is said to have been
first seen in Uganda in 1947. The CDC has
vast information about Zika online.
Regarding symptoms, they say that illness happens in only 1 in 5 people affected, and that the common symptoms are fever, rash, joint pain, conjunctivitis, sometimes muscle pain and headache. They say it's usually mild and lasts several days to a week. Also, "Zika virus usually remains in the blood of an infected person for about a week but it can be found longer in some people."
There is a
CDC Travelers' Health site for those who may be going to tropical or subtropical areas, and you can also
see a map with the countries with active Zika outbreaks. As you already know, those who travel may bring Zika home with them or take it to other parts of the world.
The most common route of transmission has been through the
Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also spreads yellow fever and other tropical diseases, both in tropical and subtropical areas. Aside from bringing these diseases around the globe, the University of Florida
tells us that Aedes aegypti has been seen in twenty-three states, but by the mid-1900s aggressive mosquito control had largely eradicated it. They go into some detail about it's subsequent spread and control efforts. This mosquito has spreading in the 21st Century.
Anecdotally, I've seen local or regional reports of chikungunya and dengue cases in the last few years, although I don't recall if these were connected with travelers or from mosquitoes that were here. Today's report is 7 Zika cases in our area, all from travelers. Although we still have cold nights and no mosquitoes, Florida has
declared a state of emergency, since expanded to five counties, to allow the state to begin spraying.
Now we know that Zika is also may be
transmitted through blood –
confirmed in Brazil – and through semen, as in the Dallas case.
What does this have to do with Zika and men having sex? In the
Texas case, Dallas County Health and Human Services said that a patient was infected with Zika after having sex with someone who traveled to Venezeula and was infected there. Both have since fully recovered. Quoting the CDC, "A person who recently traveled to an area with Zika virus transmission returned to the United States and developed Zika-like symptoms. The person later tested positive for Zika, along with their sexual partner, who had not traveled to the area.”
So if you've read this far, here's why I made this post: If you're a man, you are not going to have to worry about being pregnant nor giving birth to a child with microcephaly. However, you have a good chance of having a bad short-lived illness if infected by Zika. Or you may even possibly get GBS.
Personally, I don't give advice. I do believe information is important, although whatever risk Zika provides to men-seeking-men seems to pale compared to those who may have microcephalic babies.
From the NIH,
GBS is a rare but serious nervous system disorder which can occur after a viral infection. To summarize what the NIH says, GBS often first causes weakness and tingling sensations. Symptoms of weakness and neuropathy may spread, and in the most severe cases may lead to paralysis. They say, “Most individuals, however, have good recovery from even the most severe cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, although some continue to have a certain degree of weakness.”
Per the CDC,
"We do not know if Zika virus infection causes GBS." They are working with Brazil to determine this. It's been
reported that Brazil has been slow to cooperate. Colombia's Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria
believes the connection exists, and says, "We are currently talking about a rate of 2.3 cases of Guillain-Barré for every 1,000 patients with Zika. That is quite a lot." The article goes on to say that the country expects "about 657,000 cases of Zika" and "over 1,500 cases" of GBS.
Meanwhile, there is research into a Zika vaccine
in the US and
an Indian company says it has the first two Zika vaccine candidates.
Down in Rio,
the Carnival goes on.