Tag Archives: zika virus
New Zika publications
I was asked a few weeks ago if the collective “we” (meaning the whole state of Texas) were going to be ready for Zika. My answer was a cautious, “I think so”. If we’re not, it at least it won’t be for lack of trying. Zika is a much different disease than West Nile virus. It has different vectors, mosquitoes that prefer to feed on humans over any other animal (unlike WNV mosquitoes, which mostly feed on birds). It is also very difficult to detect in wild mosquito populations. The… Read More →
Zika Virus: What you need to know
Last December I wrote about bracing for a new mosquito-borne disease called Zika. Since then, evidence of a connection between Zika virus and two scary health conditions called Guillian-Barré syndrome and microcephaly has grown. Although there are still no known cases of Zika being acquired from mosquitoes locally, from within the U.S., there is a real possibility that Zika virus could reach Texas this summer. If so, these issues will become as important to the average stay-at-home Texan, as it is to those folks who are willing to… Read More →