Scientific ignorance about Zika parallels Aids crisis in 1980s, say Brazilian experts

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Scientific ignorance about Zika parallels Aids crisis in 1980s, say Brazilian experts

‘This is a major health incident in the history of Brazil. We face a very serious problem for which scientific knowledge is far from sufficient’, expert says

Jonathan Watts in Rio de Janeiro and Sarah Boseley
Tuesday 2 February 2016 12.23 EST

The spread of Zika virus across Latin America, with its apparent tragic consequences for the babies of infected pregnant women, has parallels with the emergence of Aids more than 30 years ago, according to a senior epidemiologist on the frontline in Brazil.

Wilson Savino, director of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, said the current state of scientific ignorance around the virus and its effects resembles that over HIV – the human immunodeficiency virus which gives rise to Aids – in the early 1980s.

“Back then, the scientific and medical community did not know what was going on until many people had died and considerable research had been undertaken,” said Savino. “Then it turned out to be a global health issue. In Brazil, although we have identified the Zika virus, we don’t know much about it compared with dengue or yellow fever. The degree of ignorance is comparable to what we faced 32 years ago.

“This is a major health incident in the history of Brazil. We face a very serious problem for which scientific knowledge is far from sufficient. The scientific community has the responsibility to discover as much as possible as rapidly as possible.”

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/02/zika-virus-scientific-research-lacking-latin-america

[Delmette]

1. It's about to blow up this summer.

The Olympics this summer will expose thousands of people from around the world. Some of them will take the virus back to their home country. If other forms of transmission are not known we will all be in deep trouble.

[Unknown Beatle]

2. The problems facing Americans during the 80's Aids crisis

and their ignorance of the virus also stems from the fact that reagan was as homophobic as they come. And as such, mistakenly believing that it was a Gay problem, reagan didn't mention it until the virus started spreading rapidly (Rock Hudson's death from Aids being one of the motivating factors).

And now, the Zika virus. Republicans are going to do their Chicken Little act again just like they did with the Ebola virus.

Scientific endeavors and discovery are anathema to republicans.

[MosheFeingold]

3. Not sure it is a fair comparison

The HIV virus was pretty sneaky and indirect. The actual apparent illness is something else that takes advantage of the weakened immune system (e.g., TB or a bacterial infection).

It took a long while for people to even suspect a virus and then a long while to find it, since it hid so well in the immune system of all places.

Even today, there are people (idiots) who claim that the HIV virus doesn't cause AIDS because it's not a obvious thing like smallpox or the measles.

[MisterP]

4. the goal is to have a robust as well as an effective medicine that can react to new shocks like this

there's even critical epidemiology that takes a historical and social approach, to inform the reports and labwork about the conditions disease spreads in

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

5. It was very rude of this virus to infect the Americas.

For the sixty years we've known about the virus, it was polite enough to stay on the African continent, infecting Africans.

Now, suddenly, it seems to be a very big deal, triggering immediate calls for action in the Scientific and Medical communities. Because it's here.