Zika Virus: Bill Gates Foundation and genetically modified mosquitoes

[MikeWB]

Zika virus is in the news in US now. Apparently, many south & central American countries are telling women that they should not have kids for several years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/24/world/americas/el-salvador-advises-against-pregnancy-until-2018-in-answer-to-zika-fears.html

But who's behind all this mosquito research? Well, it's Bill Gates of course.


IS THE ZIKA VIRUS IN BRAZIL BEING SPREAD BY GENETICALLY MODIFIED MOSQUITOES FUNDED BY BILL GATES?


The recent outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil could be linked to the release into the wild of genetically modified mosquitoes in recent field trials in Brazil funded by the Bill and Gates Foundation, it has emerged.

https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/07/08/genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-nearly-eradicate-dengue-fever-spreading-types-in-brazil-trial/

http://www.healthmap.org/site/diseasedaily/article/outbreak-microcephaly-connected-zika-virus-brazil-12715

The Zika virus, which has been detected in 18 of the 26 states in Brazil, is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. A  generically modified version has been developed by a British biotech company called Oxitec.

The results of a trial in Brazil published this summer involved genetically engineered mosquitoes that allegedly fight the spread of dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya, and zika virus.

But scientists have warned the study had too few controls in place to ensure that the mosquitoes released into the wild did not end up spreading dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya, and zika virus.

In short, these genetically modified mosquitoes could be the cause of the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil and other parts of South and Central America.

"If these mosquitoes are completely safe, then why the hush-hush?" says Gurmit Singh, chair of the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development in Malaysia, another country slated for an Oxitec field trial.

http://news.sciencemag.org/2010/11/gm-mosquito-trial-strains-ties-gates-funded-project

Oxford Insect Technologies, a British biotech company, has developed the insect with funds from the Bill and Gates foundation. It conducted the first outdoor trials with transgenic Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the Caribbean island of Grand Cayman in autumn 2009.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxitec
https://birdflu666.wordpress.com/2015/12/12/is-the-zika-virus-in-brazil-being-spread-by-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-funded-by-bill-gates/



He's the guy who released mosquitoes at the TED conference too:

And here's a video about genetically modified mosquitos that were released in Brazil a couple of years ago:

[MikeWB]

Well well well... looks like zika first appeared exactly where genetically modified mosquitoes were released from!



Zika Outbreak Epicenter In Same Area Genetically-Modified Mosquitoes Released In 2015

The World Health Organization announced it will convene an Emergency Committee under International Health Regulations on Monday, February 1, concerning the Zika virus 'explosive' spread throughout the Americas. The virus reportedly has the potential to reach pandemic proportions — possibly around the globe. But understandingwhy this outbreak happened is vital to curbing it. As the WHO statement said:

    "A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth malformations and neurological syndromes ... is strongly suspected. [These links] have rapidly changed the risk profile of Zika, from a mild threat to one of alarming proportions.

     

    "WHO is deeply concerned about this rapidly evolving situation for 4 main reasons: the possible association of infection with birth malformations and neurological syndromes; the potential for further international spread given the wide geographical distribution of the mosquito vector; the lack of population immunity in newly affected areas; and the absence of vaccines, specific treatments, and rapid diagnostic tests [...]

     

    "The level of concern is high, as is the level of uncertainty."

Zika seemingly exploded out of nowhere. Though it was first discovered in 1947, cases only sporadically occurred throughout Africa and southern Asia. In 2007, the first case was reported in the Pacific. In 2013, a smattering of small outbreaks and individual cases were officially documented in Africa and the western Pacific. They also began showing up in the Americas. In May 2015, Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus — and the situation changed dramatically.

Brazil is now considered the epicenter of the Zika outbreak, which coincides with at least 4,000 reports of babies born with microcephaly just since October.


When examining a rapidly expanding potential pandemic, it's necessary to leave no stone unturned so possible solutions, as well as future prevention, will be as effective as possible. In that vein, there was another significant development in 2015.

Oxitec first unveiled its large-scale, genetically-modified mosquito farm in Brazil in July 2012, with the goal of reducing "the incidence of dengue fever," as The Disease Daily reported. Dengue fever is spread by the same Aedes mosquitoes which spread the Zika virus — and though they "cannot fly more than 400 meters," WHO stated, "it may inadvertently be transported by humans from one place to another." By July 2015, shortly after the GM mosquitoes were first released into the wild in Juazeiro, Brazil, Oxitec proudly announced they had "successfully controlled the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads dengue fever, chikungunya and zika virus, by reducing the target population by more than 90%."

Though that might sound like an astounding success — and, arguably, it was — there is an alarming possibility to consider.

Nature, as one Redditor keenly pointed out, finds a way — and the effort to control dengue, zika, and other viruses, appears to have backfired dramatically.


Juazeiro, Brazil — the location where genetically-modified mosquitoes were first released into the wild.
zika


Map showing the concentration of suspected Zika-related cases of microcephaly in Brazil.

The particular strain of Oxitec GM mosquitoes, OX513A, are genetically altered so the vast majority of their offspring will die before they mature — though Dr. Ricarda Steinbrecher published concerns in a report in September 2010 that a known survival rate of 3-4 percent warranted further study before the release of the GM insects. Her concerns, which were echoed by several other scientists both at the time and since, appear to have been ignored — though they should not have been.

Those genetically-modified mosquitoes work to control wild, potentially disease-carrying populations in a very specific manner. Only the male modified Aedes mosquitoes are supposed to be released into the wild — as they will mate with their unaltered female counterparts. Once offspring are produced, the modified, scientific facet is supposed to 'kick in' and kill that larvae before it reaches breeding age — if tetracycline is not present during its development. But there is a problem.
zika-mosquito

Aedes aegypti mosquito. Image credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim

According to an unclassified document from the Trade and Agriculture Directorate Committee for Agriculture dated February 2015, Brazil is the third largest in "global antimicrobial consumption in food animal production" — meaning, Brazil is third in the world for its use of tetracycline in its food animals. As a study by the American Society of Agronomy, et. al., explained, "It is estimated that approximately 75% of antibiotics are not absorbed by animals and are excreted in waste." One of the antibiotics (or antimicrobials) specifically named in that report for its environmental persistence is tetracycline.

In fact, as a confidential internal Oxitec document divulged in 2012, that survival rate could be as high as 15% — even with low levels of tetracycline present. "Even small amounts of tetracycline can repress" the engineered lethality. Indeed, that 15% survival rate was described by Oxitec:

    "After a lot of testing and comparing experimental design, it was found that [researchers] had used a cat food to feed the [OX513A] larvae and this cat food contained chicken. It is known that tetracycline is routinely used to prevent infections in chickens, especially in the cheap, mass produced, chicken used for animal food. The chicken is heat-treated before being used, but this does not remove all the tetracycline. This meant that a small amount of tetracycline was being added from the food to the larvae and repressing the [designed] lethal system."

     

    Even absent this tetracycline, as Steinbrecher explained, a "sub-population" of genetically-modified Aedes mosquitoes could theoretically develop and thrive, in theory, "capable of surviving and flourishing despite any further" releases of 'pure' GM mosquitoes which still have that gene intact. She added, "the effectiveness of the system also depends on the [genetically-designed] late onset of the lethality. If the time of onset is altered due to environmental conditions ... then a 3-4% [survival rate] represents a much bigger problem..."

     

    As the WHO stated in its press release, "conditions associated with this year's El Nino weather pattern are expected to increase mosquito populations greatly in many areas."

Incidentally, President Obama called for a massive research effort to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus, as one does not currently exist. Brazil has now called in 200,000 soldiers to somehow help combat the virus' spread. Aedes mosquitoes have reportedly been spotted in the U.K. But perhaps the most ironic — or not — proposition was proffered on January 19, by the MIT Technology Review:

    "An outbreak in the Western Hemisphere could give countries including the United States new reasons to try wiping out mosquitoes with genetic engineering.

     

    "Yesterday, the Brazilian city of Piracicaba said it would expand the use of genetically modified mosquitoes ...

     

    "The GM mosquitoes were created by Oxitec, a British company recently purchased by Intrexon, a synthetic biology company based in Maryland. The company said it has released bugs in parts of Brazil and the Cayman Islands to battle dengue fever."

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-29/zika-outbreak-epicenter-same-area-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-released-2015

[yankeedoodle]

But who's behind all this mosquito research? Well, it's Bill Gates of course.

Just doing to mosquitoes, and their human victims, what he did to computers: FUCK THEM UP. 

[MikeWB]

Was Zika outbreak caused by release of genetically modified mosquitoes in Brazil?



The Zika virus outbreak currently gripping the Americas could have been sparked by the release of genetically modified mosquitoes in 2012, critics say.

The insects were engineered by biotechnology experts to combat the spread of dengue fever and other diseases and released into the general population of Brazil in 2012.

But with the World Health Organisation(WHO) now meeting in Geneva to desperately discuss cures for the Zika virus, speculation has mounted as to the cause of this sudden outbreak.

The Zika virus was first discovered in the 1950s but the recent outbreak has escalated alarmingly, causing birth defects and a range of health problems in South and central America.

The first cases were reported in Brazil last May with up to 1.5 million people now thought to be affected by the virus which is spread by mosquitoes endemic to Latin America.

Have your say in the comments section below

The Aedes aegypti mosquito sub-species that carries both the Zika virus and dengue was the type targeted with genetically modified mosquitoes.

The aim was to release only male Aedes mosquitoes into the wild and they would in turn produce offspring with their virus carrying female counterparts.
This offspring would then die off before breeding again due to the GM coding in their genes.

But experts expressed concerns about the programme at the time of its inception, arguing that further studies were needed on the potential consequences.

On Saturday, senior health experts shockingly announced that the outbreak could pose a bigger threat to global health than the Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in Africa.

In many ways the Zika outbreak is worse than the Ebola epidemic of 2014-15," Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome trust told The Guardian.

"Most virus carriers are symptomless.

"It is a silent infection in a group of highly vulnerable individuals – pregnant women – that is associated with a horrible outcome for their babies."

The UK is unlikely to be affected by the outbreak because the virus carrying mosquitoes could not survive the climate.

But women returning from affected areas are warned to postpone trying for a baby for at least a month in case they have been infected.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/zika-outbreak-caused-release-genetically-7281671

[yankeedoodle]

This is getting totally fucking ridiculous.

RT just reported that:  WHO declares Zika virus global health emergency
https://www.rt.com/news/330918-zika-who-global-emergency/


John Rappaport has been reporting on this extensively.  Among other things, he reports that there are 25,000 cases of microcephaly in the US each year, and that diagnosis is inaccurate, and that...you guessed it...it is reported to be a side-effect of glyphosate in Monsanto's Round-up. 

https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/01/28/is-the-dreaded-zika-virus-another-giant-scam/

https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/01/29/zika-freakout-the-hoax-and-the-covert-op-continue/

https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/01/30/zika-genetically-engineered-mosquitoes-causing-smaller-heads/

https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/01/31/zika-monsantos-roundup-associated-with-smaller-heads/

https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/01/31/busted-25000-cases-of-microcephaly-in-the-us-per-year/

https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/01/31/zika-freaka-the-other-shoe-drops-lying-about-case-numbers/

https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/02/01/zika-mega-powers-best-friend-the-virus/

[MikeWB]

News from Brazil...




Exclusive: Brazil says Zika virus outbreak worse than believed

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's top health official said on Monday that the Zika virus outbreak is proving to be worse than believed because most cases show no symptoms, but improved testing should allow the country to get a better grip on the burgeoning public health crisis.

Health Minister Marcelo Castro told Reuters that Brazil will start mandatory reporting of cases by local governments next week when most states will have labs equipped to test for Zika, the mosquito-borne virus that has quickly spread through Latin America. The virus has no vaccine or cure at present.

On Monday, the World Health Organization declared the Zika outbreak to be a global emergency, a decision that should help fast-track international action and research priorities.

In Brazil, believed to be the country hit hardest by Zika, the outbreak has sparked fear especially among pregnant women after local experts linked the virus to thousands of cases of microcephaly, or abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains, in newborns.

"Eighty percent of the people infected by Zika do not develop significant symptoms. A large number of people have the virus with no symptoms, so the situation is more serious that we can imagine," Castro said in an interview.

"Our big hope is finding a vaccine," he added.

The Zika emergency comes at a particularly bad time for President Dilma Rousseff's unpopular government, adding a new burden to a public health system hit by budget cuts in the midst of a severe recession. It has also cast a shadow on Brazil's hosting of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.

The Rousseff government said there was no chance the Games will be called due to the health scare.

"We have to explain to those coming to Brazil, the athletes, that there is zero risk if you are not a pregnant woman," Rousseff's chief of staff Jaques Wagner told reporters.

The Brazilian government suspects the virus was brought to Brazil during the 2014 soccer World Cup by a visitor from Africa or Oceania where Zika is endemic. An estimated 1.5 million Brazilians have caught Zika, a virus first detected in Africa in the 1947 and unknown in the Americas until it appeared in May in the poverty-stricken northeastern region of Brazil.

The Pan-American health Organization said the virus has since spread to 24 countries and territories in the hemisphere.

WORKING WITH U.S. ON VACCINE

Castro, a psychiatrist from Rio, said the virus cannot be transmitted from person to person, only by mosquito, addressing fears that it could be spread through saliva, semen or urine.

By next week, labs in all but three of Brazil's states will be able to test whether a person has had Zika or not, he said.

And by next month, the labs will have a test that can detect all three viruses borne by the Aedes aegypti mosquito - dengue, chikungunya and Zika. The test, however, will only be effective during the initial infection period of five days.

Castro said Brazilian researchers are convinced that Zika is the cause of the 3,700 confirmed and suspected cases in Brazil of microcephaly in newborns. Ninety percent of children born with the condition will have retarded mental and physical development, experts say.

"The microcephaly cases are increasing by the week and we do not have an estimate of how many there will be. The situation is serious and worrying," Castro said.

Brazilian biomedical research centers are joining forces with U.S. counterparts to try to find a Zika vaccine in record time, Castro said. A partnership between the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Brazil's Butantan Institute will seek to develop a vaccine by adding a gene to an existing one for dengue, he said.

Until there is a breakthrough on a vaccine, Brazil's only option is to try to eradicate the mosquito that spreads the virus, Castro said, with the government mobilizing all its possible resources and people, including tens of thousands of soldiers, to go door-to-door seeking places where the insect breeds.

Rousseff signed a temporary decree on Monday that makes it obligatory for residents to allow health workers to inspect their homes and properties for still water deposits where the Aedes aegypti mosquito lays its eggs.

Asked if Brazil would ease its restrictions on abortion to allow women with Zika to terminate pregnancies, Castro said it would be up to Congress to make that change. The government, he said, is sticking with the current law that makes abortion in the world's largest Roman Catholic country illegal except in cases of rape and risk to the mother's life.

Brazil will follow the U.S. decision last week to prohibit blood donations from people who have been infected with Zika, Castro said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, has said it is planning to require people who have traveled to an affected country to defer giving blood, but details on how that might work are still being determined.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Mary Milliken, Bernard Orr)

[yankeedoodle]

Zika Hoax: five things that will happen next
https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/zika-hoax-five-things-that-will-happen-next/

Microcephaly = babies born with small heads and brain impairment.

In previous articles, I established that the Zika virus uproar is a hoax. There was no reason to assume the number of Brazilian cases of microcephaly was extraordinary. There is no reason to assume the Zika virus has anything to do with microcephaly.

My previous quote:  "Now we have a January 27 Associated Press story out of Rio, published in SFGate: '270 of 4,180 suspected microcephaly cases confirmed.' That's called a clue, in case you're wondering. Of the previously touted 4,180 cases of microcephaly in Brazil, the actual number of confirmed cases so far is, well, only 270. Bang. But wait, there's more. AP: 'Brazilian officials said the babies with the defect [microcephaly] and their mothers are being tested to see if they had been infected. Six of the 270 confirmed microcephaly cases were found to have the [Zika] virus.' Bang, bang, bang. Out of all the microcephaly cases re-examined in Brazil, only six have the Zika virus. That constitutes zero proof that Zika has anything to do with microcephaly."

But of course, The Machine is rolling and it will move forward. Also, a number of independent investigators are behind the curve. They are still assuming there is proof of a Zika-microcephaly "epidemic." If there is proof, it is nowhere to be found yet.

Here are five things that will happen next.

One: Health agencies and reporters will mention cases of microcephaly in other countries, and they will automatically connect them to the Zika virus, or they will suggest there could be a connection. This baseless claim is part of the operation to build up the story and spread fear. Microcephaly can be caused by any insult to the brain during fetal development.

Two: There will be more stories about the rush to develop a vaccine against Zika, the virus that hasn't been proved to cause anything serious.

Three: Some independent researchers will continue to insist that Zika is actually a weaponized biowar virus. They will ignore the fact that, as yet, Zika hasn't been shown to cause microcephaly. Or they will point to genetically engineered mosquitoes and the Tdap vaccine as the cause of the Zika epidemic—when there is no proof the epidemic exists. Yes, the vaccine and the mosquitoes are quite dangerous to health, but there is no reason to tout a Zika/microcephaly epidemic when proof isn't there.

Four: The truth here is: absence of evidence. On the one hand, the CDC and the World Health Organization will grudgingly admit it would be useful to assemble more hard evidence connecting Zika to microcephaly. On the other hand, they will press forward with emergency warnings to pregnant mothers; travel advisories; and they will emphasize the need to come up with a vaccine. Then, they'll forget all about the need for more evidence.

Five: Investigators and researchers will ignore the fact that there is a very real health crisis in Brazil, and it has existed for a long time. The rampant use of toxic pesticides, grinding poverty, contaminated water, lack of basic sanitation, overcrowding, the takeover of farm land by major corporations, prior toxic vaccine campaigns—these are all factors that cause massive illness, suffering, and death in Brazil.

Again, I emphasize: The release of genetically engineered mosquitoes in Brazil, based on no health studies, is a crime, to say the least. But there is no need to claim these insects are causing an epidemic of microcephaly—since there is no evidence of an epidemic. There is every reason to oppose this GE mosquito campaign.

For the past 30 years, I've been analyzing and taking apart phony epidemics. There are two things you must do, among others. Demand proof that the touted cause is really the cause. And discover whether the number of ill people is being accurately reported.

So far, re microcephaly, there is no proof the touted cause is the cause. And the recent revision of evidence indicates there are far, far fewer cases of microcephaly in Brazil than initially trumpeted.

Here is a sixth thing that may happen now. Those Brazilian researchers who went back in and looked at their own evidence for a second time and found no proof of a microcephaly epidemic and no causal connection to the Zika virus? The World Health Organization and the CDC could move in and apply some heavy pressure and arming-twisting:

"Look, boys, you messed up big-time. We've got a raging epidemic here because we say so. And Zika is the cause because we say so. Now, you look again and come up with the answer we want. We're the pros. We run the show. You're nothing. If you want future careers, you'll do the smart thing. Get it?"

And then at another level, the US State Department will exert pressure based on aid programs to Brazil. You want the money to keep flowing? —You want to reap the rewards you're getting from Monsanto's presence in Brazil? You want our continuing help with security for the Olympics? Get on the right side of this story. Get out in front of trouble. Play ball.

And then, if the Brazilians fold up and submit and obey, you'll hear something like this from their now-apologetic researchers:  "Well, when we looked at those 3000-plus other possible cases of microcephaly for a second time, guess what? Wow. We found most of them are, in fact, microcephaly. And the Zika virus was present in all those cases. This is really is an epidemic, and it is caused by Zika. This is a global pandemic. We fully support the World Health Organization. We must have a Zika vaccine as soon as possible. Don't get pregnant. Do what you're told."

Go along, or tell the truth. Go along, or tell the truth.

[rmstock]

Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Lilianne Ploumen tours Bill Gates around inside the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam  © anp.
Source : http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1041/Amsterdam/article/detail/4232361/2016/01/26/Schatrijke-Bill-Gates-is-in-de-hof---en-hoofdstad.dhtml

This female minister looks more like some Bolshevist Capo from the
Urals with black leather boots, than a female from the indigenous
Dutch population.  And indeed, a lot of higher ups in government and
NGO's all speak Russian, even when no-one knows. Also Angela Merkel
speaks Russian. It's all a con game.

About Bill Gates : Back in the early 1990s his Microsoft Windows
software was frequently crashing down with so-called Blue Screens Of
Death (BSOD) :



It looks like his efforts in the vaccination business are developing 
in the same way.

--
ir. R.M. Stockmann - RHCE
Network Engineer - UNIX/Linux Specialist
crashrecovery.org  stock@stokkie.net

[yankeedoodle]

This female minister looks more like some Bolshevist Capo from the Urals with black leather boots, than a female from the indigenous Dutch population.

But, did a check to see if her name was jewish, and found that she has taken a strong stand against Israhell.

Dutch water supplier Vitens has ended a partnership with Israeli water company Mekorot due to the "political context", the Dutch company said on Wednesday.

The abrupt decision comes days after a visit to the Mekorot offices in Israel by the Netherland's trade minister Lilianne Ploumen was abruptly cancelled. 

http://www.mei.edu/content/dutch-water-firm-cuts-israel-ties-after-tense-pm-visit

[MikeWB]

After looking at that Jon Rappoport's website, he also claims that AIDS doesn't exist. He offers zero evidence for any of his claims.

PS: Rappoport is exclusively jewish name fwiw.

[Ognir]

indeed he has known family links Mike

[yankeedoodle]

After looking at that Jon Rappoport's website, he also claims that AIDS doesn't exist. He offers zero evidence for any of his claims.

PS: Rappoport is exclusively jewish name fwiw.

Think you are right about the name Rappoport.

He - and/or the people who work for him - puts out a lot of garbage, but, occasionally, he has something good, or at least  informative.  This info about the zika virus commotion seems quite useful and interesting.

[MikeWB]

indeed he has known family links Mike

After looking at that Jon Rappoport's website, he also claims that AIDS doesn't exist. He offers zero evidence for any of his claims.

PS: Rappoport is exclusively jewish name fwiw.

Think you are right about the name Rappoport.

He - and/or the people who work for him - puts out a lot of garbage, but, occasionally, he has something good, or at least  informative.  This info about the zika virus commotion seems quite useful and interesting.

Rappoports are usually Kohanim. When you see someone named Cohen or Kohen (and many times Rappoport), there's a good chance they're high-status, priestly jews.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Kohanim

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Kohenitic_surnames



They're the only ones who can make that sign with their hands that looks like two "Vulcan greeting" signs done with both hands: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priestly_Blessing

Anyway, unless he can back up any of his claims with some concrete evidence, discount him for now. It's easy to go around and take a different tack and claim "it's a conspiracy" without any evidence to back it up.

[yankeedoodle]

Rappoports are usually Kohanim. When you see someone named Cohen or Kohen (and many times Rappoport), there's a good chance they're high-status, priestly jews.
...
Anyway, unless he can back up any of his claims with some concrete evidence, discount him for now. It's easy to go around and take a different tack and claim "it's a conspiracy" without any evidence to back it up.

Some of the garbage he - or somebody - writes definitely might be called preaching, i.e. trying to tell people how to live their lives, about his visions, etc.

Checked out some of the links he provided in his writings about microcephaly cases, and they seemed to be valid.

Zika's suddenly everywhere, like commies in the 1950's.

There's many a pea-brain about, and never heard the diagnosis microcephaly before.  Ain't modern medicine great? 

[MikeWB]

Personally, I think zika really is spreading and is everywhere because genetically modified mosquitoes killed the non-zika kind of mosquitoes which allowed zika-carrying mosquitoes to start multiplying and spreading. It's also possible that GM mosquitoes were designed to spread zika.

So the possibilities are:

1) Zika carrying mosquitoes were not caused by GM mosquitoes and they started spreading because something else allowed them to spread.

2) GM mosquitoes killed off most common form of mosquito which allowed zika carrier to spread.

3) GM mosquitoes were designed to spread zika.

Which of these is the truth, I don't know. I lean towards 2) but Bill Gates is evil enough to create 3) to stop population growth.

Finally, the second set of questions:

A) Scientists & Bill Gates Foundation knew that GM mosquitoes were going to cause a zika outbreak

B) Zika outbreak is an unintended consequence of GM mosquitoes and was not done on purpose.

C) Zika outbreak and GM mosquitoes are not correlated at all.

I don't know whether A) or B) is true. I don't believe in C) option.

[MikeWB]

First U.S. Zika virus transmission reported, attributed to sex

The first known case of Zika virus transmission in the United States was reported in Texas on Tuesday by local health officials, who said it likely was contracted through sex and not a mosquito bite, a day after the World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency.

The virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil, is spreading rapidly in the Americas, and WHO officials on Tuesday expressed concern that it could hit Africa and Asia as well. Zika had been thought to be spread by the bite of mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, so sexual contact as a mode of transmission would be a potentially alarming development.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed it was the first U.S. Zika case in someone who had not traveled abroad in the current outbreak, said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden on Twitter.

However, the CDC has not investigated how the virus was transmitted.

After this case, the CDC advised men to consider using condoms after traveling to areas with the Zika virus. Pregnant women should avoid contact with semen from men exposed to the virus.

The Dallas County Department of health said on Twitter that the person was infected through sexual contact with someone who had traveled to Venezuela. The person infected did not travel to the South American country, county health officials said.

The Texas Department of State Health Services was slightly more cautious in its assessment, saying in a statement, "Case details are being evaluated, but the possibility of sexual transmission from an infected person to a non-infected person is likely in this case."

County authorities said there were no reports of the virus being transmitted by mosquitoes in the Texas county.

Previously, international health officials had noted one U.S. case of possible person-to-person sexual transmission. But the Pan American Health Organization said more evidence was needed to confirm sexual contact as a means of Zika transmission. The medical literature also has one case in which the virus was detected in semen.

The virus has been reported in more than 30 countries and linked to microcephaly, in which babies have abnormally small heads and improperly developed brains.

The American Red Cross on Tuesday asked blood donors who have traveled to Zika virus outbreak areas such as Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central or South America to wait at least 28 days before donating. However, the risk of transmitting the virus through blood donations remained "extremely" low in the continental United States, the disaster relief agency said.
Related Coverage

    * › Fact box: Why the Zika virus is causing alarm

The Dow Jones transportation average ended 2.9 percent lower following news of the first U.S. transmission of the Zika virus.

MONITORING NEEDED

The WHO has said the virus could infect 4 million people in the Americas. It said on Tuesday it launched a global response unit to fight the mosquito-borne virus.

"Most important, we need to set up surveillance sites in low- and middle-income countries so that we can detect any change in the reporting patterns of microcephaly at an early stage," Dr. Anthony Costello said in Geneva. Costello is WHO's director for maternal, child and adolescent health.

Twenty to 30 sites could be established worldwide, mainly in poor countries without robust healthcare systems, Costello said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-idUSKCN0VB145

[MikeWB]

Reports of Zika Cases Growing Quickly in U.S.
CDC says vast majority are travelers bringing the disease home

By
Betsy McKay

    *
      Betsy McKay
      The Wall Street Journal
      CANCEL
    * BiographyBetsy McKay
    * @betswrites
    * Betsy.McKay@wsj.com

Feb. 26, 2016 4:26 p.m. ET
3 COMMENTS
Reports of people sickened by Zika virus are growing quickly in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, illustrating serious challenges posed by frequent travel to and from regions affected by the virus.
Details provided by the agency also suggest that pregnant women face significant risk from the disease. Five of nine pregnant women who traveled to affected areas and had Zika symptoms had complications.
The CDC said it has received 147 reports of Zika illnesses to date. The vast majority—107—were travelers who brought the disease home. Another 40 are cases involving people who were infected locally, mostly in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. Puerto Rico has confirmed 117 cases overall, making it the most affected U.S. area, CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a news briefing.
The pregnancy complications, as well as 14 reports of possible sexual transmission, have surprised CDC officials. "We did not anticipate we would see this many sexually transmitted cases of Zika," Dr. Frieden said.
That, and the number of abnormalities the agency discovered in the unborn children of pregnant women, caused Dr. Frieden to reiterate forcefully the agency's recommendations about prevention. Scientists are continuing to find new signs of a link between Zika and microcephaly, a serious birth defect in which babies are born with undersized brains and skulls, he said. "The evidence is getting stronger by the day," he said.
"If you're pregnant, avoid travel to a place where Zika is spreading," he said. Pregnant women who live in an area where the virus is circulating should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites and sexual transmission, he said.
The CDC is also expanding the availability of diagnostic tests for Zika to more than 20 qualified laboratories, he said. He said pregnant women who have traveled can be tested for Zika two to 12 weeks after their return.
President Barack Obama has asked Congress for $1.9 billion to combat Zika, $828 million of which would go to the CDC for work such as expanding laboratory capacity around the country.
Zika is circulating in 34 countries and territories, according to the CDC.
The agency said it had reports of nine pregnant women confirmed with Zika infection and is investigating 10 other possible cases. The nine women were all infected in Zika-affected areas, including Puerto Rico, Mexico, Haiti and American Samoa.
Two women had miscarriages, one gave birth to a baby with microcephaly, and two terminated their pregnancies, the agency said. Two other infants were born healthy and two women are still pregnant.
Details of some of the cases suggest that Zika poses the greatest risk to pregnant women and their unborn children in the first trimester.
One who lived in Brazil for her entire first trimester gave birth to a baby with severe microcephaly—the birth defect linked to the virus. She had Zika symptoms in her seventh and eighth weeks, according to the report. The baby was born in late 2015 with an undersized head and signs of damage to its central nervous system. It had seizures, difficulty swallowing, and eye inflammation, and was discharged from the hospital with a feeding tube. Lab tests found evidence of Zika infection in the mother and the placenta of the baby.
The CDC wouldn't identify where she lived, but health authorities in Hawaii previously reported a similar case.
Another woman traveled to a Zika-affected region at the end of her first trimester and got sick then too. An ultrasound at 20 weeks showed severe brain damage, and an amniocentesis detected Zika virus. The woman terminated her pregnancy.
A third pregnant woman who had Zika symptoms at 17 and 18 weeks ultimately delivered a full-term healthy baby.
The CDC said it had received 14 reports of possible sexual transmission between Feb. 6 and 22, suggesting that is a more common mode of transmission than previously understood. Among the six cases that have been either confirmed or preliminarily confirmed, sexual contact occurred while the men were sick or just after they recovered. Two other cases have been excluded, and the remaining six are still under investigation, the CDC said.
The agency said it isn't known how long the virus persists in semen.
One study found it in the semen of one man 62 days after he was ill, but the virus wasn't infectious. Nor is it known whether sexual transmission of Zika poses a different risk of congenital infection than mosquito-borne transmission, the CDC said.

https://archive.is/coMhB#

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So what is the difference between a Yellow fever virus and the Zika virus ?
Not much, the two could be brothers in disease :

Yellow fever virus (YFV)
Virus classification
Group:    Group IV ((+)ssRNA)
Order:    Unassigned
Family:    Flaviviridae
Genus:    Flavivirus
Species:    Yellow fever virus

dengue virus (DENV)
Virus classification
Group:    Group IV ((+)ssRNA)
Order:    Unassigned
Family:    Flaviviridae
Genus:    Flavivirus
Species:    Dengue virus

Zika virus (ZIKV)
Virus classification
Group:    Group IV ((+)ssRNA)
Family:    Flaviviridae
Genus:    Flavivirus
Species:    Zika virus

According the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal and Biomedical Sciences Institute,
University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil :
08-04MAR2013-Evolution-of-Zika-Virus-PLOS.Neglec.Trop.Dis-Jan9.2014.pdf


  "[ ... ]
   Introduction
      Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, a member of
   the Spondweni serocomplex, whose natural transmission cycle
   involves mainly vectors from the Aedes genus (A. furcifer, A. taylori, A.
   luteocephalus and A. africanus) and monkeys [1], while humans are
   occasional hosts. Clinical pictures range from asymptomatic cases
   to an influenza-like syndrome associated to fever, headache,
   malaise and cutaneous rash [2,3]. Likewise, direct contact is also
   considered a potential route of transmission among humans,
   probably during sexual intercourse [4]. The first isolation of ZIKV
   was in 1947 from the blood of a sentinel Rhesus monkey No. 766,
   stationed in the Zika forest, near the Lake Victoria in Uganda, and
   in 1948 ZIKV was also isolated in the same forest from a pool of A.
   africanus mosquitoes [5]. Thereafter, serological and entomological
   data indicated ZIKV infections in the African continent in Nigeria
   in 1971 and 1975 [6], Sierra Leone in 1972 [7], Gabon in 1975
   [8], Uganda in 1969 and 1970 [9], Central African Republic in
   1979 [10], Senegal from 1988 to 1991 [11] and Coˆ te d'Ivoire in
   1999 [12]. Recently, ZIKV was detected in Senegal in 2011 and
   2012 (unpublished data). In addition, ZIKV infections in Asia
   were reported in Pakistan [13], Malaysia [14], Indonesia in 1977
   and 1978 [15], Micronesia in 2007 [16,17] and Cambodia in 2010
   [18]. Although ZIKV was repeatedly isolated, only 14 human
   cases were reported before April 2007, when a Zika fever (ZF)
   epidemic occurred in Yap island in Micronesia, where 49
   confirmed cases and 73% of the residents older than 3 years
   provided serologic evidence for recent ZIKV infection [16]. This
   outbreak showcased the potential of ZF as an emerging disease,
   which could be misdiagnosed as dengue fever, as happened during
   the beginning of the Micronesian outbreak [16,17].
      The ZIKV genome consists of a single-stranded positive sense
   RNA molecule with 10794 kb of length with 2 flanking noncoding
   regions (59 and 39 NCR) and a single long open reading
   frame encoding a polyprotein: 59-C-prM-E-NS1-NS2A-NS2BNS3-
   NS4A-NS4B-NS5-39, that is cleaved into capsid (C), precursor
   of membrane (prM), envelope (E) and seven non-structural
   proteins (NS) [19,20].

   1. Hayes EB (2009) Zika virus outside Africa.
      Emerg Infect Dis 15: 1347–1350.  doi:10.3201/eid1509.090442.
   2. Simpson DI (1964) Zika virus infection in man.
      Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 58: 335–338.
   3. Bearcroft WG (1956) Zika virus infection experimentally induced in
      a human volunteer. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 50: 442–448.
   4. Foy BD, Kobylinski KC, Chilson Foy JL, Blitvich BJ, Travassos da Rosa A,
      et al. (2011) Probable non-vector-borne transmission of Zika virus,
      Colorado, USA. Emerg Infect Dis 17: 880–882. doi:10.3201/eid1705.101939.
   5. Dick GWA, Kitchen SF, Haddow AJ (1952) Zika virus. I. Isolations and
      serological specificity. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 46: 509–520.
   6. Fagbami AH (1979) Zika virus infections in Nigeria: virological and
      seroepidemiological investigations in Oyo State. J Hyg (Lond) 83: 213–219.
   7. Robin Y, Mouchet J (1978) Serological and entomological study on yellow
      fever in Sierra Leone. Bull Soc Pathol Exot Filiales 68: 249–258.
   8. Jan C, Languillat G, Renaudet J, Robin Y (1978) A serological survey of
      arboviruses in Gabon. Bull Soc Pathol Exot Filiales 71: 140–146.
   9. McCrae AW, Kirya BG (1982) Yellow fever and Zika virus epizootics and
      enzootics in Uganda. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 76: 552–562.
   10. Saluzzo JF, Gonzalez JP, Herve´ JP, Georges AJ (1981) Serological survey
       for the prevalence of certain arboviruses in the human population of the
       south-east area of Central African Republic. Bull Soc Pathol Exot
       Filiales 74: 490–499.
   11. Monlun E, Zeller H, Le Guenno B, Traore´-Lamizana M, Hervy JP,et al.(1993)
       Surveillance of the circulation of arbovirus of medical interest in the
       region of eastern Senegal. Bull Soc Pathol Exot 86: 21–28.
   12. Akoua-Koffi C, Diarrassouba S, Be´nie´ VB, Ngbichi JM, Bozoua T,
       et al. (2001) Investigation surrounding a fatal case of yellow fever
       in Coˆte d'Ivoire in 1999.  Bull Soc Pathol Exot 94: 227–230.
   13. Darwish MA, Hoogstraal H, Roberts TJ, Ahmed IP, Omar F (1983) A
       seroepidemiological survey for certain arboviruses (Togaviridae) in
       Pakistan. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 77: 442–445.
   14. Marchette NJ, Garcia R, Rudnick A (1969) Isolation of Zika virus from
       Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Malaysia. Am J Trop Med Hyg 18: 411–415.
   15. Olson JG, Ksiazek TG, Suhandiman, Triwibowo (1981) Zika virus, a
       cause of fever in Central Java, Indonesia.
       Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 75: 389–393.
   16. Duffy MR, Chen T-H, Hancock WT, Powers AM, Kool JL, et al. (2009)
       Zika virus outbreak on Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia.
       N Engl J Med 360: 2536–2543. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa0805715.
   17. Lanciotti RS, Kosoy OL, Laven JJ, Velez JO, Lambert AJ, et al. (2008)
       Genetic and serologic properties of Zika virus associated with an
       epidemic, Yap State, Micronesia, 2007. Emerg Infect Dis 14: 1232–1239.
   18. Heang V, Yasuda CY, Sovann L, Haddow AD, Travassos da Rosa AP, et al.
       (2012) Zika virus infection, cambodia, 2010.
       Emerg Infect Dis 18: 349–351. doi:10.3201/eid1802.111224.
   19. Chambers TJ, Hahn CS, Galler R, Rice CM (1990) Flavivirus genome
       organization, expression, and replication.
       Annu Rev Microbiol 44: 649–688. doi:10.1146/annurev.mi.44.100190.003245.
   20. Kuno G, Chang G-JJ (2007) Full-length sequencing and genomic
       characterization of Bagaza, Kedougou, and Zika viruses.
       Arch Virol 152: 687–696.  doi:10.1007/s00705-006-0903-z.
   [ ... ]"

According the  Oxitech OX513A Mosquito manufacturing team :
01-20FEB2007-Genetic-Mosquito-Control-BMC-Biology-20MAR2007.pdf :
  "[ ... ]
   Results: We investigated by mathematical modeling the effect of
   manipulating the stage of development at which death occurs (lethal
   phase) in an SIT program against a density-dependence-limited insect
   population. We found late-acting lethality to be considerably more
   effective than early acting lethality. No such strains of a vector
   insect have been described, so as a proof-of-principle we constructed a
   strain of the principal vector of the dengue and yellow fever viruses,
   Aedes ( Stegomyia) aegypti, with the necessary properties of dominant,
   repressible, highly penetrant, late-acting lethality.
   [ ... ]
   Mosquito transformation and rearing
   Aedes aegypti of the Rockefeller strain (obtained from Roger Wood,
   University of Manchester), were reared in an insectary maintained at
   28°C and 75–80% relative humidity with 12-hour light/dark cycle.
   Mosquitoes were transformed by standard micro-injection methods [44],
   using a vector plasmid (e.g. pLA513) concentration of 500 ng/l
   coinjected with a 400 ng/l concentration of piggy-Bac 'helper plasmid'
   phsp-pBac [45] as the source of piggy-Bac transposase.
   
   [44] Jasinskiene N, Coates C, Benedict M, Cornel A, Rafferty C,
     James A, Collins F: Stable transformation of the yellow fever mosquito,
      Aedes aegypti, with the Hermes element from the housefly.
      Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1998, 95(7): 3743-3747.
   [45] Handler AM, McCombs SD, Fraser MJ, Saul SH: The lepidopteran
      transposon vector, piggyBac, mediates germ-line transformation in the
      Mediterranean fruit fly. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1998, 95(13): 7520-7525.
   [ ... ]"

While Zika or Yellow fever virus from the Rockefeller strain are considered relatively
harmless, as they have been around since the 1930s 1940s, the piggy-Bac transposase
variant used to control Mosquito populations has relatively new and yet not fully
known side effects ...

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