SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the time-to-invest-in-nets-and-DEET dept.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is intensifying efforts to investigate the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which is believed to cause microcephaly (infants born with abnormally small brains):
The World Health Organization has declared the cluster of microcephaly associated with the spread of the Zika virus to be a public health emergency of international concern — a designation reserved for an"extraordinary event" that is "serious, unusual or unexpected." Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO's director-general, said during a press briefing Monday that an international coordinated response was needed to improve mosquito control as well as to expedite the development of tests that detect the Zika virus.
The declaration is chiefly important to intensify the efforts to prove that the Zika virus is causing microcephaly in infants. Essentially, Chan said, if the Zika virus was not thought to be causing these neurological problems in newborns, it would not be a "clinically serious condition." Dr. David L. Heymann, assistant director-general of the WHO, said that it was unclear how long it would take to definitively link the Zika virus to microcephaly in children.
Brazil's Health Minister says that the Zika outbreak is worse than believed because most of the infected show no symptoms.
Here is another article taking down a conspiracy theory that claims that the Zika outbreak is the result of genetically modified mosquitoes and intended for population control.
The New York Times , Wikipedia.
Previously: World Health Organization to Convene Emergency Meeting for Zika Virus
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Wednesday February 03 2016, @12:51PM
Here is another article taking down a conspiracy theory
Lamest ever. Don't bother reading unless you want some laughs. To paraphrase its a pile of authoritarian babble about how people in charge have never done anything wrong and various authorities are backing them up as per the thin blue line doctrine because it would really suck if the people in charge did something bad. Most incompetent attempt possibly EVER at debunking a conspiracy theory. I want my minutes of life wasted reading it returned to me. Seriously thats all the article has. Pitiful.
Now what would work to debunk the theory:
1) Some independent 3rd party analyzes residual samples from the mosquito release to verify no intentional (or much more likely accidental) viral contamination.
2) Independent scientific analysis of samples captured between the mosquito release and the beginning of the viral outbreak show no viral contamination.
3) A detailed geographic analysis of where the virus first popped out doesn't seem to match the detailed geographic analysis of where the mosquitoes were released. More detailed than "It was in South America, bro". So if it was released 100 miles away and the average mosquito only lives 10 miles at best then ...
4) A statistical analysis of diff eqs of growth rates indicates that to continuously grow at a rate of doubling every week or WTF its doing, to have a biological mass of X kilograms of infectious viral agent on the planet today would imply that 1 / 2 to the 104th power fraction existed at mosquito release, and the virus having a molecular weight of a zillion, would imply that the mass of virus that subsequently doubled in the last mosquito release was one trillionth of the mass of one electron, so when-ever it came from, it didn't come from the mosquitoes.
5) Some kind of analysis of the process of weaponization of the virus indicates the least efficient way to spread it is mosquitoes, compared to adding it to the water in the prisoners showers or having cops mix it with pepper spray or putting it in government supplied food or adding to existing aerial spraying solutions or simply pouring out a bucket of infected slop in a hyper dense populated slum area. Or it was added to vaccination supplies either officially or clandestinely like the CIA does ops involving vaccination. Seriously, the best you could come up with is some ridiculous james bond BS plot about mosquitoes?
But no, no, we totally debunked that conspiracy theory by telling the proles that leaders have never done anything bad and nobody in authority would ever lie. I'm sure they'll totally fall for it just like the last 1e9 times.
In a way I wonder if the journalist is intentionally pot stirring or knows something but is being censored and this is the smart ass response. I find it about a million times more likely some operator dumped out a bottle in a slum, than for once you can trust the authorities to do no wrong.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 03 2016, @06:43PM
You forgot:
6) If you wanted to use genetic modification for spreading illnesses for population control, you'd certainly use your genetic manipulation expertise to create a virus tailored for the job, rather than modifying mosquitoes to transport an illness that is not exactly ideal for that job, to say the least.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Wednesday February 03 2016, @11:47PM
Granted, you're correct that the article about the conspiracy theory doesn't cite the specific details you mention.
However, one of the articles [blogspot.com] linked to does address many of the points you bring up.
It's a shame you didn't actually read it. Perhaps you should go and do so now.
Just a silly thought.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by VLM on Thursday February 04 2016, @09:01PM
The existence of other well written articles does very little to disprove my claim that the poorly written article, is in fact poorly written.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Thursday February 04 2016, @09:10PM
I guess you didn't read the first sentence of my comment, or chose to ignore it.
I don't consider this to be a competition, friend. So guess what -- you win the intertubes! Hooray!
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr