Did you ever wonder what happened to Zika? You should, as our Government gave the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) $1.1 billion to study and develop a vaccine against Zika. Where did that money go and what happened to Zika?
Recall that the Zika virus was making national headlines in 2016 as the CDC and other Powers-That-Be were claiming that Zika was responsible for the microcephaly epidemic that was occurring in one area of Brazil. Here is a sample of what the media had to say about Zika in 2016:
I know many of you do not like the term ‘fake news’. (Trust me, I hear about it every time I use it, especially by my much older sister.) But, I can find no better way to describe the mainstream reporting Zika coverage by the media, which was being driven by the CDC.
Here’s what I wrote on July 8, 2016:
“Zika refers to the virus spread by mosquitos. It was first described as coming from the Zika Forest of Uganda in 1947. Zika has affected many tropical countries including many in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific. And, over the last 70 years, there has not been an epidemic of microcephaly—children born with small heads–in any of these countries until a few months ago. Microcephaly made headlines early this year when a Brazilian doctor reported an epidemic increase in children being born with small heads—microcephaly. This doctor also noticed that many of the children who were born with small heads had mothers who were infected with Zika during their pregnancy.”
I also discussed the fact that Zika occurred in many other countries which did not suffer with an outbreak of microcephaly. I suggested that Congress not fund the CDCs folly of studying a benign virus.
One month later I wrote a second blog post about Zika and commented that “…seven weeks after the CDC requested $1.9 billion dollars, the CDC announced that the Zika virus was, in fact, “…a cause of microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects.” This ludicrous statement came even after the World Health Organization stated, “No scientific evidence to date confirms a link between Zika virus and microcephaly…”
A few weeks later, I posted again about Zika lamenting that we (the taxpayers) were now funding Big Pharma to manufacture a vaccine against Zika even though:
- A microcephaly epidemic only occurred in NE Brazil
- Zika was never shown to cause the microcephaly epidemic in NE Brazil
- Zika is rampant throughout Brazil including the Amazon where there is no microcephaly epidemic
- Colombia which is next to Brazil studied 12,000 newborn babies and found no microcephaly cases even though Zika is rampant there
- A microcephaly epidemic occurred in NE Brazil, the CDC wants $1.9 billion to study and develop a vaccine from a virus that has NEVER been shown to cause microcephaly
I finished that third post by stating, “I am hoping this is my last post about Zika.”
What prompted this fourth post? Two things. First, a patient asked me if she should be concerned about going to South America because of Zika. The answer to that one is easy, no concerns at all.
Second, a 2018 report by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) stated that U.S. Autism rates are stabilizing.
According the NIH, 2.41% or 1 in 41 children in the U.S. are autistic. That is a 40% increase since 2010. Keep in mind, in the 1970s, autism occurred in 0.01% or 1 in 10,000 children. Even as late as the 1980s, one in 500 children suffered with autism.
Stabilizing? The word that should be used is infuriating.
Folks, the autism epidemic will ruin our country if we don’t fix it. We simply cannot function when one in 41 children are sick with a chronic illness.
The CDC and the other Powers-That-Be should be asking for money to study why autism has increased at epidemic rates in our children. Instead of asking for billions to study a benign virus, perhaps we should be studying our children.
President Trump, when he was campaigning for office, stated that he wanted to drain the swamp in Washington D.C. Let’s start draining the swamp by asking the CDC for the $1.1 billion dollars it wasted studying Zika and developing a vaccine that was never needed. Better yet, let’s demand to know how this money was spent. Furthermore, let’s spend money studying why our children are so sick. Although the CDC, NIH, FDA and many other agencies won’t be happy with the results of such a study, only then can we begin to drain the swamp and begin to reverse the decline in the health of our children.
I hope I don’t have to write again about the CDC wasting our money.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of hope here.
DrB
Great article, Dr. B. This is the only place I can read medical news and not get infuriated by the deception. In addition to all Pharma corps lining up for that billion $, I also remember news stories about releasing GMO mosquitos in Florida that were supposed to attack the zika carrying ones. (?) Shaking my head at the gullibility of people when “science” based propaganda is foisted at them. Propaganda is the term I use with people who get offended by the term “fake news” more than the concept itself.
Thanks to you Dr. B for the follow-up here; otherwise I don’t know that we would hear anything further about the situation.
There appears to be a number of messages here combined into one and each may deserve full attention however the one closest to “home” for me is the continued “good news” that there should be “no concerns at all” regarding Zika (and I believe that applies in the u.s. of A). My professor friend who writes what I call “CDC friendly” papers was on a kind of red alert in 2016 regarding the possibility of West Nile and Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes in San Diego. I am now totally confident that we should not be concerned. Fears like these need to be squarely faced with objective truth (the kind that is presented here) and vaporized!
They already know what causes Autism…no money is needed. Vaccines/gluten/GMO/Roundup/pesticides and more like BPA etc. Baby formula maybe 1/2 sugar and GMO corn/GMO soy. Breast feeding kids survive vaccines better, so they told people not to breast feed kids.
Maybe they took that money to bribe people to force vaccines so they can make more money. Ask Trump to investigate this issue. He already knows expensive drugs/vaccines/GMO are not the answer. He is taking down the swamp, but can’t do it all at the same time. He needs to know the issues. He gives surveys…put this on the survey or on his Facebook site.
Very well said Dr Brownstein. My question “How will the USA go to war either physically or mentally when one in forty one of your children with autism”. I am not an American citizen but I can see this epidemic coming against the almighty America. Because of the greed of a minority (the scum of America) the almighty America will be on its knees in not a very far future.
Michael Chan (Mauritius)
Pleeeease don’t ask the government to do anything. All that happens is more tax money is wasted, nothing is learned, and nothing is gained. They find what they want to find. The old boys get overpaid. We are poorer and are told things that aren’t true. The truth is suppressed. Justice is not served. What a scam. They all ought to be fired. Think how much money we would have to do useful things….
I am a pediatrician and am seeing a vast increase in autistic children in my practice. Some are now entering adulthood and moving on from my practice. I do not feel that the internist out there are trained to see autistic individuals. Medical schools need to make another specialty.
From my readings, some of the chemicals that cause microcephaly in the fetus are atrazine, pyroproxyfen, naled, glyphosate (Roundup), glufosinate, and neonicotinoids. The chemical pyroproxyfen was applied to many areas of standing water in NE Brazil for mosquito eradication. Unfortunately, the local poor population, with no source of clean water, get their water from these pools of water. Naled was sprayed in the Miami area for mosquito eradication after the Zika virus scare. Time will tell if there is an increase in microcephaly in the Miami area.
The rubella virus in the MMR vaccine and the pertussis component in he DPT vaccine are known to cause microcephaly.
Microcephaly can develop in the fetus from vitamin A and zinc deficiencies.
Annual cases of microcephaly in the US is approximately 25,000 without the Zika virus.
“Microcephaly may result from an insult that disturbs early brain growth…Annually, approximately 25,000 infants in the United States will be diagnosed with microcephaly…” from the Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the Practice Committee of the Child Neurology Society. (Neurology 2009 Sep 15; 73(11) 887-897.
As a natural healer, and author, I have informed my clients for years about the truth! I appreciate you- you speak it! I had researched the origins of “zika” and found how early and how suspect it came into play.
Dr. B.,
Re your thoughts about autism.
The following is not crank science – give it 20 seconds.
From: http://www.yourhealthbase.com/ihn228.pdf
“A hypothesis approaching a unified theory of the diseases of civilization has recently been
proposed by Professor Woodrow Monte, Emeritus Professor of Nutrition, at Arizona State University.
This hypothesis was put forward in 2010 in the journal “Medical Hypotheses” and then in vastly
greater detail in 2012 in a 236-page book fully documented with 745 citations. The title is “While
Science Sleeps, a Sweetener Kills”. This title is somewhat misleading since, while the sweetener
aspartame (NutraSweet) is a major factor, this book is about the simple alcohol methanol and how
over the past two centuries our exposure to it has continuously increased, recently dramatically. The
theory is based on the havoc that methanol causes in the human body and how it is plausible that it is
one of the primary causative factors, through a metabolite, of the diseases of civilization.”
I suggest you invest 5 – 10 minutes in the full review by Professor Ware (cited above) and that may lead you to Monte’s book.
A longtime faithful reader,
Bruce Hopkins
Great post Dr. B! A number of years ago, when I was actively practicing Biological Dentistry and Nutritional Counseling, I became interested in the epidemic of autism which was sweeping our country. I of course was concerned about the presence of mercury fillings in people, especially pregnant women. I also was concerned about the mercury in Thimerasol in vaccines. It became widely accepted by the mainstream that mercury toxicity had nothing to do with the autism epidemic. I was skeptical, so I checked the research and I found that there was no good scientific evidence in this area in any way. I cannot believe that we are spending so much money (all of it unaccountable) on the ZIKA virus and others and we are ignoring what is happening to our own children. This is a serious matter, but the “swamp” could care less about our children. If Robert Kennedy is not to be appointed, then the President should bring in some Doc’s like myself who are retired, who care, and who don’t worry about whose Ox is gored. Our only interest would be the science and the children! Way to go, David!
Thank you, Dr. B,
DrB
I wondered if Trump would appoint Kennedy to investigate vaccines and the toxins, specifically mercury, as I understand it.
Did that happen? Wonder how he was deflected? Or maybe he never meant to do any draining.
Mary
Yes, Zika, and the flu vaccine. I keep hearing on the news that they got the flu vaccine wrong this year but you should go get a shot anyway! DUH.
Thank you for speaking the truth. The waste of funds and the cost of continued human suffering because of fraud is evil.