Say what?!? Did the CDC just say "scarier"?

I work in local media. I have heard the complaints that we dramatize or sensationalize things, that we create pandemonium over a snowstorm, a potential new virus or a bed bug outbreak. At times I agree these criticisms are warranted, but for the most part, I understand that sometimes news is, in part, defined by that which is out of the ordinary. Therefore it may seem like a media outlet is creating much ado about nothing when they are alerting you to something unusual and interesting.

That said. This isn't the media. This is the CDC talking about Zika: "Scarier than we initially thought." Excuse me! My husband is constantly telling me I need to relax with stuff like this. And then the CDC goes and says something like this. This woman of a child-bearing age is a bit freaked out. 

My news roots do allow me to relax for a moment and find some facts. I figured if I'm going to start looking up information, I might as well share what I consider most interesting for women like me who plan to someday add to their family or who are pregnant now. 

First of all, you've likely seen the video. It is heart-breaking to see small babies with microcephaly. They're born with abnormally small heads and often have other issues because of it. Areas where Zika are present have seen an unusual increase in the cases of microcephaly which prompted health officials to believe there was a link between the virus and the condition. There had been debate, discussion and theories that perhaps something else was responsible for the microcephaly. Today, the CDC said Zika is confirmed as a cause of microcephaly.

At this point, there have not been any cases of a mosquito in the United States infecting a person here with Zika virus. People in the United States have gotten it, but it's believed they got it while in a country where Zika is present. Feel free to check this information for yourself. There is a graph at the bottom of this link. It's also known that Zika can be sexually transmitted.

Okay. You're thinking, "It's not in my stateside American bubble. No big deal." BUT...that's the issue. The CDC now says, "Zika may spread through mosquito bites in some states later this spring and summer." The agency specifically points to Florida, Hawaii, and Texas, but says it could spread to other states as well.

The other element that caused concern in me was the new state map. Zika has been found in a certain mosquito, and it's believed a couple kinds of mosquitoes could carry it. The CDC originally said there are 12 states where the mosquitoes that could potentially carry Zika are present. They have upped that to 30. Below is a picture of that map. You can find the map here too. 

Maybe the CDC is saying it's scarier because they just want people to be aware. Maybe they're hoping it generates the funding they have been requesting. Maybe they are genuinely concerned about an outbreak in the United States. It's hard to know the exact motivation, but I believe knowledge is power, so I thought I'd share. I also understand that you may have a gazillion more questions. I recommend checking out the CDC web site and surfing around it. They have a lot of resources including recommended travel restrictions which I didn't get into at all. (I'm not planning on going anywhere, and if my husband decides to shack up with someone who recently traveled to one of those places, we have issues beyond Zika.) 

And bottom line, a word of advice from my husband, try to relax about it. He's right. He just reminded me I was hesitant about us swimming in Minnesota lakes last year because of a brain-eating amoeba which turned out to be something else (although the brain-eating amoeba does actually exist too). It's important to be smart, but I think a lot of us have the tendency to get more freaked out about things than we need to. So fellow mamas out there, let's take a deep, cleansing breath together.