The Zika virus was originally found in 1947 in the Zika Forest of Uganda. The virus is a flavivirus, as are yellow fever, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile. 1 None of which are conclusively known to cause birth defects.
Map of Zika Virus Prevalence 2
In 2015, there was an increase in microcephaly and Guillain-Barrè Syndrome in the northeastern part of Brazil 1, which is being blamed by most on the Zika virus. If Zika is truly the cause, why isn't there a problem throughout Brazil and the other parts of the world with Zika?
Recently, the New England Journal of Medicine conducted a study 3 of almost 12,000 Colombian pregnant women infected with the Zika virus. ZERO cases of microcephaly were reported in these women. Yet, by June 2016 Brazil had 1,500 confirmed cases of microcephaly.
What does Brazil do differently? Could it be related to Brazil being the world's largest user of pesticides? 4
An article, Fateful Harvest 5, written April 2015, warned that the unrestrained use of pesticides in the rural northeast was leading to sickness.
Area with prevalent toxic pesticide use
Many of the pesticides used in Brazil are banned in other countries and a lot of the food grown in Brazil violates national regulations, due to the use of banned pesticides or exceeding approved residue levels. Brazil's health ministry began keeping records in 2007 and reported 2,178 cases of human intoxication by pesticides. In 2013, there were 4,537 reported cases. Deaths linked to pesticide poisoning went from 132 to 206 per year. However, in reality, the number is higher because of incomplete tracking or misdiagnosing.
Farmers are accused of overusing pesticides, "particularly with crop dusters that rained chemicals down on the canals and other areas adjacent to farmland."5 Residents in areas where pesticides are used frequently get water from the same open-air canals that are used to irrigate the farms. Research has found traces of many pesticides in water taps in homes near agricultural areas. Locals have dealt with sick farm animals, rashes after showering, increased cancer cases, organ failure, and death.
A report from Brazilian physicians state that the Brazilian Ministry of Health has been adding the pesticide pyriproxyfen for 18 months to the drinking-water of Pernambuco, where the most cases of microcephaly have been reported. 6
Suspected Cases of Microcephaly
December 26, 2015
http://www.who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/situation-report/7-april-2016/en/
The New England Complex Systems Institute, posted an article 3 also stating that a possibility for the rise in microcephaly cases in Brazil could be linked to the use pyriproxyfen used in the drinking water. Pyriproxyfen has been known to cause microcephaly and several prominent groups have urged for more studies to be conducting regarding its potetntial link to the soaring rates of microcephaly in Brazil.
According to the CDC, there are several causes of microcephaly, including exposure to toxic chemicals 7, which would include pesticides.
In an effort eradicate Zika in the US, southern states have begun spraying naled. Naled is a pesticide that is banned in Europe, is a known carcinogen, attacks the human nervous system, and has been linked to harming fetuses. 8 Ah, the paradox of using something that can cause the very harm you are trying to avoid!
Apparently, we don't learn from history. In 1946, they sprayed DDT in hopes of lessening the spread of Polio, due to the misguided belief that it was transmitted through mosquitos. DDT is a pesticide that was banned in the 70s due to its negative effect on the environment and humans. It also induced symptoms like polio--respiratory failure and paralysis. Here's a video of them fogging communities. Hmmm, I guess not much has changed.
Spraying DDT for Polio in Texas 1946
Here's one of them spraying DDT on children...
Mass spraying of toxins is not the solution. Ask the bees...
Zika spraying kills millions of bees
Florence Fouque, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert on viruses carried by animals said the public response to Zika has been "completely hysterical". 12 The US is planning on creating a Zika vaccine, before it has even been conclusively shown that Zika causes birth defects. It also plans on releasing GMO Mosquitos and dousing communities in pesticides. Considering this might be a man-made problem, it makes the solutions seem even more ironic.
POSTSCRIPT
• Below is a map of where genetically-modified mosquitos were released in Brazil around July 2015 in a quest to combat Dengue. 13
Microcephaly Cases in Brazil
December 19, 2015
I don't know how plausible this scenario is, but the map is uncanny. The FDA has approved the use of GMO mosquitos in Florida to combat Zika. 14 Why would the Food and Drug Administration be assigned to determine if a GMO mosquito could hurt the ecosystem or have unintended negative outcomes? A GMO mosquito is neither food nor drug. As with all GMOs, the dangers are largely unknown and the unforeseen consequences could be devastating.
• The widespread use of Tdap vaccine during pregnancy, began November 2014 in Brazil. The Brazilian Health Ministry mandated all pregnant women get the Tdap 15, even though the package insert clearly states, "There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women." 16
This one is a weak theory, because if it truly caused microcephaly then it should have affected all of Brazil, not just primarily the northeast. However I include it, because there was also an increase in Guillain-Barrè Syndrome (GBS), also attributed to the Zika virus. However, Tdap has been linked to GBS and I would think it would be the more likely cause, since Zika outbreaks elsewhere have not caused widespread GBS.
17
References
1. Virology Blog, January 28, 2016; "Zika Virus"
http://www.virology.ws/2016/01/28/zika-virus/
2. The New York Times, July 29, 2016; "Short Answers to Hard Questions About Zika Virus"
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/health/what-is-zika-virus.html?_r=0
3. New England Complex Systems Institute, June 24, 2016; "New doubts on Zika as cause of microcephaly"
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160624150813.htm
4. Front Public Health Journal vol. 3, November 4, 2015; "Pesticides in Drinking Water--The Brazilian Monitoring Program"
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4631936/
5. Reuters Investigates, April 2, 2015; "Fateful Harvest"
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/brazil-pesticides/
6. REDUAS, Feb 3, 2016; "REPORT from Physicians in the Crop-Sprayed Villages regarding Dengue-Zika, microcephaly, and mass-spraying with chemical poisons"
http://www.reduas.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2016/02/Informe-Zika-de-Reduas_TRAD.pdf
7. CDC, Facts About Microcephaly, July 25, 2016
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/microcephaly.html
8. Miami New Times, August 10, 2016; "Pesticide Sprayed Over Wynwood Is Banned in Europe, May Also harm Fetuses"
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/pesticide-sprayed-over-wynwood-is-banned-in-europe-may-also-harm-fetuses-8671169
9. Spraying DDT for Polio in Texas 1946 Universal Newsreel (0.56)
10. DDT Spraying on children (0.31)
11. Zika spraying kills millions of bees (2.00)
12. Dr. Mercola, August 16, 2016; "Zika: Brazil Admits It's Not the Virus"
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/08/16/birth-defects-brazil-not-zika-virus.aspx#_edn4?
13. Anti-Media, January 28, 2016; "Zika Outbreak Epicenter in Same Area Where GM Mosquitoes Were Released in 2015"
http://theantimedia.org/zika-outbreak-epicenter-in-same-area-where-gm-mosquitoes-were-released-in-2015/
14. Fox News, August 5, 2016;
"FDA approves releasing GMO mosquitoes to fight Zika in Florida"
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/08/05/fda-approves-releasing-gmo-mosquitoes-to-fight-zika-in-florida.html
15. http://www.blog.saude.gov.br/34736-ministerio-da-saude-disponibiliza-no-sus-vacina-contra-coqueluche-para-gestantes.html
16. BOOSTRIX Tdap Vaccine Insert; https://gsksource.com/pharma/content/dam/GlaxoSmithKline/US/en/Prescribing_Information/Boostrix/pdf/BOOSTRIX.PDF
17. Adacel Tdap Vaccine Insert;
https://www.vaccineshoppe.com/image.cfm?doc_id=10437&image_type=product_pdf
