Regarding the May 25 article about the Zika virus (“Research: Zika risk to fetus up to 13 percent in first trimester”), written by Lena H. Sun of The Washington Post and published in the Press Herald:
It’s another scare tactic so often used these days to control the public.
In the article, the study’s author, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention biologist, refers to the “appreciable risk” to pregnant women, “just weeks before the start of summer and the mosquito season across the United States,” the reporter states.
According to the CDC’s own website, although 618 cases of Zika virus illnesses have been recorded in the U.S. as of June 1, these are cases that were contracted outside the U.S. by people who were traveling. There have been zero cases of vector-borne Zika infections in the U.S. It is unlikely there will be any, as the mosquitoes that carry the virus thrive in tropical climates.
It’s unfortunate all the facts weren’t included in the article, instead of just the headline-grabbers. Some folks may panic and start applying toxic sprays to kill mosquitoes, thus creating a whole host of environmental problems much more serious than the bogus threat of Zika.
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