US Opinion and Commentary

“VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussion and opinion on these policies.” — VOA Charter

Showing Archived Posts

To Fight Zika, Let’s Genetically Modify Mosquitoes – the Old-Fashioned Way

Posted April 29th, 2016 at 11:53 am (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

We can accomplish the goal of producing mosquitoes incapable of transmitting human pathogens using the same kinds of selective breeding techniques people have been using for centuries on other animals and plants.

Odds Are you Won’t get Zika. But It’s only Human to Worry that You Might

Posted March 7th, 2016 at 8:21 am (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

You wouldn’t know it from the World Health Organization’s declaration of a global public health emergency, or all the dramatic news coverage, but while the microcephaly risk from Zika is real, at this point it’s lower than you might expect, given the alarms.

Zika Virus Is Not Ebola

Posted February 2nd, 2016 at 11:35 am (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

In many ways Zika represents a form of endemic illness that is becoming more and more familiar. We can assume that Zika will eventually distribute to many of the same areas covered by dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and West Nile virus — all of which are carried by the same mosquito.

The Zika Virus Isn’t Just an Epidemic. It’s Here to Stay.

Posted February 1st, 2016 at 11:27 am (UTC-4)
Comments are closed

Until we have an effective vaccine and have executed mammoth immunization campaigns in all of the nations of the Americas, Zika will haunt us, sicken some of us, and endanger our babies.