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by Patrick Cox
August 1, 2016
As I predicted, the Zika virus has almost certainly entered mosquito populations in the US. Persuasive evidence indicates that mosquitos in Florida have infected at least 14 people, and the FDA has shut down blood donations in two counties. Confirmed cases have been found in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, but I have little doubt that it will eventually reach the Gulf Coast where I’m located. One storm could spread Zika-carrying mosquitos into Louisiana and Texas.
As a result of the outbreak in Miami, English health officials have advised pregnant women to stay out of Florida. This will upset Florida’s tourism industry, especially the world’s most popular tourist destination, Orlando. But in my opinion, the warning doesn’t go far enough. Let me explain why.
First, we know that the Zika virus affects people of all ages. Many of us have heard about the heart-breaking deformities and neurological damage suffered by developing fetuses. But older people can contract Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) from the virus.
GBS is a potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease that attacks the peripheral nervous system. It begins with numbness in the extremities. Then, it can paralyze the muscles involved in breathing and lead to asphyxiation. If treated in the developed world, many patients recover. But, they can have lingering problems for the rest of their lives due to nervous system damage.
Our young children are at risk right now
Think this through with me, and I believe you’ll agree that health authorities should be much more concerned about the arrival of mosquito-borne Zika.
Zika’s most obvious harm is to the unborn when infection occurs early in pregnancy. It takes no medical expertise or advanced tests to see the small head size associated with microcephaly.
The evidence, however, indicates that invisible neurological damage can take place even if the developing child is exposed to the Zika virus late in pregnancy. The effects are not as dramatic as microcephaly, but neurologists are predicting long-term cognitive and behavioral problems.
We know that Zika can cause neurological damage in older people and babies who are infected in the last weeks of pregnancy. So, why would we assume that a baby is safe just because it has left the womb? The idea is ridiculous for two reasons. First, the womb is the most protected environment human biologies have. Second, children’s brains continue to develop well into adolescence.
Zika may cause Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis
If a baby is at risk for brain damage a few weeks before birth, we have no reason to believe that the risk goes away after birth. In fact, a Brazilian study found a link with the Zika virus and Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM). This means that children may get ADEM due to exposure to the Zika virus.
In adults with fully developed brains and nervous systems, ADEM may mimic the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. This includes impaired movement and vision. In children, though, outcomes can be much worse.
As I’ve reported previously, children who contract ADEM may suffer permanent cognitive and behavioral problems due to autoimmune damage to developing brains and nervous systems. The younger children are when they develop ADEM, the more likely they are to sustain attention and psychosocial problems.
The bottom line is that far more people are at serious risk of cognitive and neurological damage from the Zika virus than unborn children. If you would not visit Florida or the far riskier Brazilian Olympic games because you’re pregnant, why would you put a small child at risk?
Take precautions for your children now
I don’t know why health authorities aren’t talking enough about this issue. Part of the problem may be that it will take many years and comprehensive testing to prove that children infected by Zika have suffered permanent neurological damage. By then, of course, it will be too late for them.
My kids are now grown, so our discussions about Zika revolve around pregnancy. If they had small children of their own, I would recommend against visiting any place where Zika is transmitted by mosquitos. At the very least, I’d be buying insect repellent by the case.
Fortunately, the first human has been dosed in a phase 1 safety trial for a Zika vaccine. I know of at least one other drug that could be given either after infection or prophylactically to prevent neurological damage from Zika. There is also another extremely promising drug currently in animal studies, and I hope to be able to talk about results soon.
Health officials must warn parents about potential risks to their children—especially infants and toddlers. And regulators should stop playing risk-averse CYA games.
There are solutions in labs right now, but you won’t get access to them for years. Here’s why. The companies who can address this crisis must navigate an incredibly expensive and time-consuming regulatory maze that puts the interests of big pharma and government bureaucrats ahead of your children’s.
— Patrick Cox is the editor of Transformational Technology Alert. This article originally appeared at Mauldin Economics.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
The future of technology is the future of America. Rod Martin sees that future clearly, and also sees how to shape it for the betterment of all. He is firmly rooted in the traditions of faith and patriotism that have made America great. That’s why he has made, and will make, so many outstanding contributions in so many areas.
