I've read with interest recent stories about the Zika virus. I know these stories are not meant to be complete rundowns of the virus, and that birth defects and microcephaly are the worst and most common serious consequences of an infection.
But they are not the only ones.
The incidence of Guillain-Barre Syndrome also spikes in areas of Zika infection. This syndrome is rare but not to be dismissed. I know; I had it in January 2015. It took eight days in Altru's Specialty Center, following a quick diagnosis by the neurologist and immediately starting IV treatment, before I could stand on my own again and go home.
Guillain-Barre Syndrome renders a person paralyzed, temporarily in most cases. I'm deaf, so being paralyzed was a particularly frightening experience.
You don't want Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I don't think having had it confers any immunity, so I take the spread of Zika seriously indeed.
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By the way, we do have a long history battling mosquito vector diseases such as malaria and yellow fever. We know how to deal with mosquitoes. So dealing with the spread of Zika is an issue of attitude and commitment, not of technology.
Joe Sando
Grand Forks
