Congress has never been the most productive place on the planet; the clash of viewpoints between Democrats and Republicans isn't exactly new.
Still, you'd think that if there were something both sides could agree on, it would be funding for fighting the Zika virus.
Alas, even that is too much to ask for from our Congressmen and women.
Senate Democrats recently blocked a federal spending bill that would have granted $1.1 billion to fight the Zika virus. They pointed to Republicans as the reason, objecting to how they attached restrictions on any of the funding going to Planned Parenthood clinics.
Because, of course, coming to an agreement on abortion- which, let's be real, isn't going to happen anytime soon- somehow has to happen before they can provide funds for potentially life-saving research.
The Zika virus is known for causing birth defects and other problems during pregnancy, including serious joint problems, seizures, vision impairment, trouble feeding and persistent crying. Zika may also increase risk of mental illnesses, including A.D.H.D., autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia.
You may be thinking, "Okay, that's bad, but I don't intend on having children anytime soon, so what's the big deal?" (If you do, however, the CDC recommends waiting at least eight weeks after the first sign or symptom of contracting Zika before trying to get pregnant.) Besides the fact that you should ask yourself where your compassion for others is, Zika may not be so innocuous in adults after all.
The Zika virus' symptoms in adults don't seem very dangerous; according to the CDC, common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes "lasting for several days to a week." Added to the fact that the immune system does eventually get rid of it and that people rarely die of Zika, it might not seem so terrible if Zika funding is postponed for a little longer.
However, it gets worse than that. New research suggests the virus in adults may not be as harmless as many believe. The study looked at the effects of Zika in adult mice brain cells, and researchers discovered that adult neural progenitor cells, vital for learning and memory, are indeed susceptible to infection. The photo above shows the areas of the adult brain affected by the virus, and infection in these areas "correlated with evidence of cell death and reduced generation of new neurons."
“In more subtle cases, the virus could theoretically impact long-term memory or risk of depression,” says Joseph Gleeson, adjunct professor at Rockefeller and head of the Laboratory of Pediatric Brain Disease, “but tools do not exist to test the long-term effects of Zika on adult stem cell populations.”
The Zika virus may or may not turn out to be as dangerous as this study claims, but with something this serious, I think we can all agree that it's much better to err on the side of safety.
Unfortunately, the CDC is "essentially out of money" to fight this virus, so who knows when we'll see studies from them confirming or denying these new claims?
