Zika

I read this news headline and had to swallow my panic: "Zika Virus is Scary and We Need Money to Fight It, Officials Say." What the holy hell?! I'm not quite freaking out just yet, but I'm very nervous. Why aren't more people worried about it?? The article states that, "Anywhere between 25 percent to 80 percent of the population could become infected as the virus moves across new countries." This is SCARY SHIT!!! Someone do something!!!

I've set up a contract with the pest control company to spray our land for mosquitoes throughout the summer. They also did a full assessment of the property and got rid of anything that might be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. I've got half a mind to set up a bat house in my backyard, since apparently they feed on mosquitoes, but then I'll have a bat problem and no guarantee Zika won't still sneak in.

If this cycle succeeds and we have a healthy embryo to transfer, I plan to have a conversation with the clinic about it. I don't know that they can do anything, but I have to ask. From the research I've done, it looks like it does affect non-pregnant people (fever, other mild symptoms) and then goes away. It's only dangerous to pregnant women because the virus causes brain damage to the fetus. Apparently if a non-pregnant woman gets the virus it's not a big deal - she's sick for a week or two then gets over it. It's unclear whether that builds up an immunity. Does she get affected again if bitten by another mosquito? What if she's pregnant the second time? So many unanswered questions.