zika button
The media continues to propel the Zika virus hysteria (the Zikasteria), despite all of the things that just don't add up.

Florida has reported five new cases of the Zika virus, and one in Pinellas County 265 miles North of Miami. The other four cases were found in an area of Miami that had already been sprayed with the pesticide Naled. (You know, the pesticide that ironically causes babies to be born with reduced brain sizes.)

Why does this seem to be such a surprise?

A mosquito bites someone with Zika... flies away... bites someone else... BINGO... they pass on the disease

However, that isn't exactly how it's being portrayed.

"A case of local transmission!" screams the BBC World Service (adding that there have been 42 cases of local transmission.) This is not news, this is nature...it's what mosquitoes do, what they have always done, and what they will continue to do.

As for the cases in an area already sprayed, it looks like they missed a spot. (This is also not surprising since a few hundred mosquito larva can live in a very small amount of water.)

Keep in mind that the South American outbreak of Zika has been linked to the genetically altered mosquitos released by the British company Oxitec in the Juazeiro area of Brazil. The company altered the mosquitos, and their clever plan to have them die off before breeding utterly failed.

Mosquito eradication programs using chemicals have been shown to cause irritation and health problems in people who have the misfortune to come into contact with them. While these programs can be effective if you are VERY thorough, it only works on the mosquitoes it comes directly into contact with at that particular time. This means that it has to be done again and again and again, ad infinitum.

Some better precautions than toxic chemicals

If you're worried about mosquitoes, there are some less harmful things you can do to reduce the chances of getting bitten. Like this:


Some herbs/plants are said to repel mosquitoes:
  • Citronella (lemon balm, lemon grass, lemon verbena)
  • Geranium
  • Eucalyptus
  • Rosemary
  • Anise
  • Mint
  • Marigolds
  • Catnip
  • Wormwood
  • Lavender
  • Cedar
  • Tansy
  • Cloves
There are some good, non-toxic topical mosquito repellents like this one, or you can learn to make your own (here are some great DIYs.) Even thought it isn't quite as pure and natural as the ones that contain citronella and eucalyptus, I swear by Avon's Skin-So-Soft. (I like the original product better than the one that is marketed as a bug repellent.)

Just mosquitoes being mosquitoes

Despite the media-driven panic, you can be assured that mosquitoes will continue to blight summers evenings. They will spread whatever diseases they are carrying from person to person by spreading infected blood through their bites. Protect yourself by learning more about the Zika virus from this non-hysterical book authored by prominent preparedness doctor, Joe Alton.

An infected bug traveling a few hundred miles should not be a breathless headline. Don't buy into the hype. Don't devolve into Zikasteria. Use simple, common-sense methods to keep the mosquitoes away and go about your business. This fairly benign virus has been around for decades and is not the plague that will end the world as we know it.