USA TODAY International Edition
NO REPRIEVE FROM ZIKA WORRIES
A tiny insect could devastate my unborn child, and that’s a crisis
Pregnant women across the United States are living in fear of Zika every single day. The economic and emotional costs of this virus are astronomical and growing, with new cases in Miami Beach sounding the latest alarm. Yet the American public and some elected officials are downplaying a public health crisis that threatens an entire generation of babies.
I am one of those pregnant women, one with a master’s degree in public health. I plan my life around a tiny insect that could cause devastating birth defects to my unborn child. There is no reprieve from the planning. And when all precautions fail to prevent the dreaded bite, there is no reprieve from the worry.
I wear pants and long sleeves to walk the dog in the sweltering summer heat. I slather myself with bug spray on the way to and from work and cringe when I receive annoyed glances because of the smell. I no longer hike or do normal outdoor activities. I take longer routes to avoid areas that might harbor mosquitoes. I am on constant alert at work and in the comfort of my own home for the sly mosquito that has slipped its way in. Every time I get a mosquito bite, I am consumed by fear that I have contracted Zika and that my first baby- to- be will suffer from irreparable and nearly inconceivable birth defects.
CDC NUMBERS Before you call me a drama queen, let me tell you why I shouldn’t be the only one terrified. There are two mosquito types that transmit Zika, Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti. The albopictus happens to be the most common mosquito in the Washington, D. C., area, where I live and work, and it also happens to be very aggressive, biting during the day and preferring humans. The aegypti has a broad range across the USA and is very effective at transmitting viruses.
Just because the mosquitoes are present in America doesn’t mean they are infected with Zika. Only Florida and three U. S. territories have reported Zika cases transmitted by local mosquitoes. But that could change.
Mosquitoes acquire the virus when they bite an infected human, and nearly every state has reported cases associated with travel. If, like me, you work in a city that hosts frequent travelers from regions with Zika, then risks increase. A friendly tourist could bring an outbreak of Zika to your front step at virtually anytime.
A startling number of people with Zika have no idea they have it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80% of infected individuals are asymptomatic, meaning they display zero symptoms yet can transmit the virus. For the 20% who have symptoms, they may be mild and not reported. So don’t expect these sweet visitors to avoid your neighborhood if they are infected; they likely won't even know.
NO LAUGHING MATTER This crisis is sometimes treated as a joke. People laugh off my mosquito “paranoia.” My neighbors believe that treating our property for mosquitoes is silly.
When President Obama sought emergency funds to fight Zika, Congress ended up fighting over Planned Parenthood and Confederate flag provisions that Republicans added to the Zika bill over Democratic opposition. Lawmakers went home for the summer last month without designating a dime to combat the virus.
But this is no laughing matter. Zika infections in pregnant women are linked to microcephaly, a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than average and the brain is often underdeveloped. The CDC estimates that lifetime care for a child with microcepha- ly could be up to $ 10 million. If 10% of pregnant women living in at- risk U. S. areas become infected and just 13% of their babies develop microcephaly, the cost would be as high as $ 130 billion. These amounts tower over Obama’s $ 1.8 billion preventive funding request. The cost is enough to overwhelm any health care system. We’re already seeing the devastation in Puerto Rico, where fellow Americans are facing this horror without proper resources.
I can’t help but wonder whether, if this virus primarily impacted males, the lack of response and level of condescension would be the same. That’s not to say expectant fathers aren’t also living through the mental and emotional anguish. My husband feels helpless while doing all he can to protect me from what, at times, seems to be an unwinnable war against an invisible enemy.
We don’t want people to feel sorry for us, but we do want people to understand the very real and current impact of Zika. It’s not some secluded, far- off virus. It is terrifying, and the consequences of inaction are deadly.