Get ready for an explosion in cases - Very Soon

Just a heads up that early next week they will be probably announcing an explosion in cases across the U.S.  Out of all the news being reported lately, there are dozens of pending test results.  I have a feeling the CDC will be announcing numerous cases at once very very soon, which could lead to public anxiety and fear.  The cases could be well over a hundred, or perhaps even in the hundreds.   There is also a chance they may release information about bodily fluid transmission. 

The U.S. is more of the CDC's jurisdiction rather than the WHO's I believe, so we could expect heavy CDC involvement and for them to take the lead on this.   

Anyway, fasten your seat belts because the ride is about to begin. 

Best of luck to all through this next adventure.  

Albert  

The BBC continues to report the same number of test results from Brazil, so testing there seems slow/stopped.  I read that in the USA there are only a few places that could test for Zika, so maybe there will not be an explosion of proved cases, if there is a bottleneck with testing.

CRS, DrPH wrote: Please keep in mind that Zika virus tends to cause a very mild disease, unlike other Flavaviruses such as West Nile, which can cause fatalities.

From what I can see it is just like West Nile virus.    Most with  West Nile never have a serious illness.    Only a tiny minority of exposures results in serious disease.   Also just today I heard on the radio that they think there are fatalities associated with Zika.   No, I don't think Zika is much different from those other viruses in its family.

The only difference with this one is how it effects pregnant women, and the recent fatalities is a new development.   6 women in the U.S. are currently pregnant with Zika, so essentially a few babies lives are  mostly likely over.   It's just a really bad one if you're pregnant or starting a family.  

If it's not transferred by bodily fluids and if sexual transmission is really rare, we would only be talking around 4,000 cases imported.   If it can spread limited human transmission by bodily fluids and sex, then we have a whole new ballgame.   

There are currently 51 cases in the U.S.   That sexual transmission case happened at around 20 cases.  Not sure if that means 1 in 20 will transmit it. 

Too many unknowns.   I think at best 100 pregnant women will be effected.   If it can be spread by bodily fluids it will be in the thousands.   We really need to see what happens. in the short term.  Could be nothing much to worry about, or could be the extreme opposite.