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    DrSmartyPantsJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:29pm

    So.... who is working on the vaccine and who is going to make it available to all so that families don’t have to go through this horror?

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      Jennifer EDMONDSONDrSmartyPants
      2/01/16 2:31pm

      Life is just one shitstorm after another.

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      fortheloveofbeetsDrSmartyPants
      2/01/16 2:36pm

      We might have to wait until it spreads far enough north that white people’s babies are threatened before we see real action on a vaccine.

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    BlueGirlRedStateJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:41pm

    You guys, I am pregnant, and I’m trying to be a reasonable person about this, but I am FREAKING OUT. I know they say it’s “unlikely” for it to spread to the states, but c’mon, who believes that really? I live in TX which is way too close to Mexico for my comfort. Pardon me while I sit inside my house in a beekeeper outfit....

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      rslwnBlueGirlRedState
      2/01/16 2:44pm

      DEET, girl. DEET yourself constantly until the second semester is over. DEET has no recorded negative effects on humans if used consistently with labeling and will keep those fuckers off of you, probably, I hope, :(

      (Signed, I’m headed to Mexico this month and was trying very hard to have a baby until last week, oh shit oh shit)

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      BlueGirlRedStaterslwn
      2/01/16 2:47pm

      Oh yes, I am all over the bug spray! And man, that sucks. I guess I hope you aren't pregnant? And best of luck getting pregnant after Mexico!!

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    potatochiiiiiiiiiiiipsJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:26pm

    Abortion is health care.

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      Prada Lovelacepotatochiiiiiiiiiiiips
      2/01/16 2:28pm

      Uh hello? God intended for these babies to be born with microencephaly!

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      Betsypotatochiiiiiiiiiiiips
      2/01/16 4:15pm

      Yeah, the horribly backward policies in Latin America on reproductive rights need to be front and center in the reporting about this. The Zika epidemic seems do be doing something to re-open the discussion about abortion, at least in Brazil.

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    Ladyheatherlee 2016 EditionJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:56pm

    And now my Facebook feed includes the ranting of the conspiracy squad - GMO mosquitoes planted by Big Pharma so they can develop a vaccine that they apparently already have and make all the money!

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      narniagirlLadyheatherlee 2016 Edition
      2/01/16 3:40pm

      oh god i saw this today along with some verbal diarrhea about winds and “geo-engineered skies” whatever the hell that means...

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      Ladyheatherlee 2016 Editionnarniagirl
      2/01/16 3:40pm

      Geo-Engineered Skies needs to be somebody’s band name.

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    HarvestMoonJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:28pm

    I keep hearing that they have to be careful to only target the Zika carrying breed of mosquito and protect the others.

    Personally, I don’t see why we need any of the little bastards in the food chain.

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      MooseyDeersHarvestMoon
      2/01/16 2:46pm

      I remember reading a few years ago that mosquitos aren’t even really in the food chain and actually are one of the few species that could be eradicated without any repercussions.

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      HarvestMoonMooseyDeers
      2/01/16 2:58pm

      Let’s do it!

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    durkbotJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:28pm

    Glad to see the catholic church emphasizing their commitment to being anti contraception and anti abortion. Its gonna pan out really well.

    Here’s hoping women gain some independence and ownership of their fertility in these countries as a consequence of this crisis but alas I don’t have much optimism.

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      SpringSprungdurkbot
      2/01/16 2:31pm

      Yes. The first step in fighting this plague may be for the women in these countries to change religions.

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      GrumpyEagleSpringSprung
      2/01/16 2:51pm

      The second largest group of Christians in Brazil are Evangelicals and Pentecostals. Not a whole of lot of pro-choice folks there, either.

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    team buttersidedownJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:39pm

    I wonder why the CDC thinks Zika won’t spread to mosquitoes in the Gulf states this summer?

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      Mayotonillateam buttersidedown
      2/01/16 3:17pm

      I like in the gulf in the U.S. I don’t believe them, not even a bit.

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      IHateGoatsPartDeuxteam buttersidedown
      2/01/16 3:19pm

      It absolutely will. I’m guessing FL will have it by this summer. If it’s made it to Puerto Rico, it will make it to FL.

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    AtLeastDingleberriesDontBiteJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:29pm

    I just can’t get over how scary this is. I’m scared of bugs because they’re icky and get stuck in my hair.... I can’t imagine being afraid of mosquitos because they could give me a virus that would disable my baby, and rob it of any chance at a normal life. Especially in the countries where it’s prevalent, and access to good health care is iffy.... just too scary.

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      theartistformerlyknownashamAtLeastDingleberriesDontBite
      2/01/16 2:47pm

      it’s only in your system for a week and symptoms include achey joints, a rash, and flulike nausea, so the chances of getting pregnant while you have it are actually quite low. it’s a tragedy for those who have had their babies affected, but it’s not all that scary in places where birth control is widely available and women have agency over their bodies.

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      TwiterTwoubleAtLeastDingleberriesDontBite
      2/01/16 2:50pm

      I agree. I just can’t figure out how to be cool with this happening in the world around the time that I don’t want to puke when I think of having a baby. Not to mention those who live in those countries now, who are getting to the same point in their lives. Lord swat those bugs!

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    CmdrBnaJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:45pm

    I would really like it if every single article about Zika pointed out that the countries that are hardest hit and are recommending that women delay conception are countries where abortion is 100% illegal and contraception is very hard to access.

    In Brazil, 1 out of every 5 women who dies dies because of complications from an unsafe abortion.

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      Agent00xCmdrBna
      2/01/16 9:23pm

      Not the same thing, but abortion seems to be the fifth largest cause of death for women there.

      http://america.aljazeera.com/features/2014/...

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    snakebiteJoanna Rothkopf
    2/01/16 2:28pm

    Does this mean we can get women in these countries (who want it) better access to birth control? Maybe free IUDs so they don’t have to worry as much. Please? A vaccine that comes years from now would be great, but it doesn’t help anyone in the present tense.

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      albatross_Ysnakebite
      2/01/16 4:23pm

      As if. These countries won’t even focus on anything but how women are irresponsible whores who should try not to spontaneously get pregnant. They SHOULD be focusing on the male population, and getting it into their heads just how serious this shit is, and how they can do their share to stop it; women are already terrified of what might happen to them if they get pregnant.

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