The news loves to scream about any news that is going to generate fear. Zika Virus is the latest scare out of South America. If you've seen pictures, you know the scariest part is babies being born with unusually small heads, "microcephaly."
“Zika Virus has been around for decades. In
fact, it was first observed in monkeys in 1947, when researchers from the
Rockefeller Foundation were conducting a research for Yellow Fever in the Zika
Forest of Uganda. Instances of Zika virus in humans arose every now and then,
but cases were mostly in equatorial regions. The symptoms were also mild enough
that it could be left alone until it clears within a week, just like any normal
fever,” says an article in Tech Times.
“Naled is one of a class of insecticides referred to as organophosphates. These chemicals act by interfering with ...an enzyme that is essential for the proper working of the nervous systems of both humans and insects…Severe poisoning will affect the central nervous system, producing incoordination, slurred speech, loss of reflexes, weakness, fatigue… Naled is highly to moderately toxic to birds… Naled is toxic to most types of aquatic life… Naled is highly toxic to bees… Protective clothing must be worn when handling Naled. (Given that, what do you see wrong in the picture above?) …”
The main pesticide being used in Brazil against mosquitos believed to be spreading Zika was not Naled, but Pyriproxyfen. Here’s what it does:
“Pyriproxyfen mimics a natural hormone in insects and disrupts their growth. It is a type of insect growth regulator that affects mostly young insects and eggs…In studies with rats, more than three quarters [of the pyriproxyfen] left the body within seven days. However, very small amounts of pyriproxyfen can be stored in fat and breast milk in the body… Two groups of laying hens were fed pyriproxyfen for eight days. A very small amount of the dose was found in the eggs, with most in the yolks…In one study, rats fed high doses of pyriproxyfen during pregnancy did not have any effects on their young. Similarly exposed rabbits had reduced birth rates only at the highest dose tested. In another study with rats, some young had unusual skeletal and digestive changes… Pyriproxyfen is practically nontoxic to birds, mammals, and adult honeybees. However, eggs and larval stages of honeybees and other insects are much more likely to be sensitive than adults…”
So it's safe, right? Well, it's safe if you're an adult human or bee or hen, but it doesn't seem to healthy for fetuses.
“Starting in 2014, Pyriproxifen was put into Brazilian
water supplies to fight the proliferation of mosquito larvae… On February 3,
2016, the [possibility] that Pyriproxyfen, not the Zika virus, is the cause of
the 2015-2016 microcephaly outbreak in Brazil was raised in a report of the
Argentinean organization Physicians in Crop-Sprayed Villages…On February
13, the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul suspended Pyriproxyfen's use… the
city of Recife has the current highest reported amount of cases of
microcephaly, yet Pyriproxyfen is not used in the region…" according to Wikipedia.
Now, here’s part of the story that wasn’t generally reported:
“After experts scrutinized 732 of the cases [in Brazil] they found that more than half either weren’t microcephaly, or weren’t related to Zika. Just 270 were confirmed as microcephaly that appears to be linked to Zika or other infectious diseases…The condition can also be caused by genetic factors or drug or alcohol abuse during pregnancy,” according to the Washington Post.
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