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CDC sounds alarm on U.S. ZIKA infection ‘clusters’

The mosquito-born virus ‘Zika’ has been largely reported as a Latin-American problem , until now.

The Centers for Disease Control in the United States pulled together a gathering of over 300 local, state and federal officials to plan a strategy to handle expected clusters of the virus on the U.S. mainland.

“The mosquitoes that carry Zika virus are already active in US territories, hundreds of travelers with Zika have already returned to the continental US, and we could well see clusters of Zika virus in the continental US in the coming months,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a statement prior to today’s meeting. “Urgent action is needed, especially to minimize the risk of exposure during pregnancy.”

The virus has a flu-like impact on adults and children directly infected, but liquefies the brains of the unborn when the mother is infected.

In a study released this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers report tracking the development of a fetus whose mother was infected with the virus during a trip to Central America while she was three months pregnant.

With blood tests and magnetic resonance images (MRI), researchers watched as the baby’s brain essentially turned to liquid in the course of nine weeks. The woman aborted the fetus at week 21.

The infection is spread through mosquito bites and sexual contact with infected persons.

There is currently no vaccine or virus-specific treatment for Zika, but its similarity to Dengue fever may help researchers fast-track both.

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Rich Mitchell

Rich Mitchell is the editor-in-chief of Conservative Daily News and the president of Bald Eagle Media, LLC. His posts may contain opinions that are his own and are not necessarily shared by Bald Eagle Media, CDN, staff or .. much of anyone else. Find him on twitter, facebook and

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2 Comments

  1. Does anyone other than me find it curious or troublesome that these last few years we have had one health crisis after the other delivered via ‘other’ nations? (swine flu, bird flu, ebola) And with a frequency that closely expands as our borders become more porous.??? Gone are the days of Ellis Island and the ‘legal’ requirement of denying entry to anyone unhealthy……I’m not advocating a return of automatic quarantine….just comparing controls…..

    Then there is the ‘development of this latest…..There was one case of the baby infected (possibly) by the mother returning from SA….and a caution to those traveling to that area…..Within a week 2 more reported cases and announcement that it was not positive that the baby was infected by gthe mother and that no evidence that ‘Zika” was spread through sexual contact or transferred from one human to another. More cases were reported from various areas of the country….CDC was working on a vaccine but it was a year plus out….NOW it’s said that indeed it is transmitted sexual contact….but not by body fluids (kissing, touching) HUH???? Also there is a vaccine and instructions on how to ‘protect’ yourself.

    We don’t dare risk ignoring the warnings but….So very konfuzzing…..but then that’s our government

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