Prompt Cast
Developing a Vaccine for the Zika Virus: Challenges and Concerns
TLDR Multiple companies and organizations are working on developing a vaccine for the Zika virus, but funding is a problem. The virus, which has spread to 67 countries, is primarily found in parts of the American South, Southeast, and Midwest, as well as South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of California.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Zika is a relatively new virus that was first discovered in a monkey in Uganda in 1947, and it has since spread to become a global outbreak affecting millions of people in 67 countries since 2015.
05:16
Zika has spread to 67 countries, with Singapore experiencing a new outbreak, and there is concern that apathy towards the virus in the United States could prevent the development of a vaccine.
10:14
Zika symptoms are generally mild and short-lived, but the virus has been linked to Guillet Barre syndrome and microcephaly, which can cause severe neurological damage in babies.
15:24
There is no safe point in a pregnancy where a Zika infection wouldn't pose a risk, and the incidence of microcephaly is significantly higher in babies born to mothers with Zika.
20:29
There are proposals to eradicate mosquitoes as a way to treat Zika, including releasing genetically modified mosquitoes or treating mosquitoes with a bacteria called Wolbachia.
25:05
The Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitoes, specifically the yellow fever mosquito, which becomes infected and can transmit the virus through its saliva when it bites a person.
29:55
Multiple companies, including one in India and the National Institute for Allergic and Infectious Diseases, are working on developing a vaccine for the Zika virus using a similar approach to what has been successful with the West Nile virus.
34:58
Funding for Zika is a problem, as the CDC is running out of money and needs Congress to provide emergency funds, but Congress has not yet approved the funding.
39:47
The CDC recommends that pregnant women do not go to Puerto Rico and wait at least two months before trying to get pregnant after coming home, and there are concerns about the impact of Zika on Florida's tourism industry.
44:24
Zika is primarily found in parts of the American South, Southeast, and Midwest, as well as South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of California, and it is not a major concern in Michigan or Canada.
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