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7 pathogens that have high chances of sparking a pandemic in 2024 as per WHO

Thiruvananthapuram, The <keyword id="260974" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala-health-department" source="Orion">Kerala health department</keyword> issued a directive on Monday urging people to remain vigilant against the <keyword id="3155474" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zika-virus" source="Orion">Zika virus</keyword>. The directive was issued in response to the virus outbreak in the Thalassery area of the northern Kannur district. <br /><br />The department said that symptoms such as fever, headache, body pain, joint pain, and red eyes should be taken seriously. <br /><br />It urged the public to promptly inform healthcare workers if they notice these symptoms. <br /><br />"If Zika virus symptoms are observed in patients, healthcare providers must give them special attention," the statement said. <br /><br />The statement was issued after a high-level meeting chaired by Health Minister <keyword id="3296362" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Veena-George" source="Orion">Veena George</keyword> held here reviewed the Zika virus cases in Thalassery. <br /><br />Currently, eight Zika virus cases have been confirmed there. <br /><br />The department said if pregnant women are affected by the virus, there is a possibility of birth defects, such as microcephaly, in the unborn baby. Therefore, pregnant women in areas with reported cases of the disease should receive special monitoring, it said. <br /><br />The department directed doctors to conduct separate examinations for pregnant women affected by fever. <br /><br />It said the Zika virus is primarily transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, but it can also be transmitted through blood donation and sexual contact. <br /><br />The department called for an intensification of activities related to mosquito breeding and fogging. <br /><br />They also directed schools, households, and institutions in Kannur district to observe dry days on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to prevent mosquito breeding.

Zika virus: Kerala health department urges people to be vigilant

Even as the Covid pandemic continue to rage in Kerala, state <keyword id="6356374" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="health-minister">Health Minister</keyword> <keyword id="3296362" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Veena-George">Veena George</keyword> on Thursday said <keyword id="3155474" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zika-virus">Zika virus</keyword> cases have been detected in the state.<br /><br />"This is the first time that Zika virus has been reported in Kerala... a 24-year-old pregnant woman reported at a hospital in the state capital district with fever, headache and rashes last month. The first results showed a mild <keyword id="2143892" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="positive-sign">positive sign</keyword> of Zika virus and later from 19 samples tested, 13 also showed Zika positive. All the samples have now been sent to <keyword id="4590086" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="niv-pune">NIV Pune</keyword>," she said.<br /><br />"The <keyword id="48418" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Health-department">Health Department</keyword> and the district authorities are seized of the issue and have taken measures by collecting samples of the Aedes species <keyword id="6418922" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mosquitoes">mosquitoes</keyword>, which transmits it to people through its bite. All the districts have been alerted about this and measures have started," George added.<br /><br />Zika virus can create complications for pregnant women.<br /><br /> <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/cryptocurrencies-exchanges-can-run-into-trouble-with-investors/articleshow/84205889.cms">Cryptocurrencies aren't all diamonds and roses — lawsuits from people who lost big are piling up with exchanges</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/simple-energy-new-electric-scooter-promises-240km-range-on-a-70-minute-charge/articleshow/84164967.cms">This new electric scooter promises 240KM range on a 70-minute charge, could be priced under ₹1,20,000</a></strong><br />

First Zika virus case detected in Kerala, says state's health minister

<br /><ul><li><strong>On 9 October, officials from the health department of <keyword id="6355588" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="rajasthan">Rajasthan</keyword> confirmed that there had been 29 verified cases of the <keyword id="3155474" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zika-virus">Zika virus</keyword> in the state.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The first case of Zika was reported on 23 September in an 85-year old patient at the at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in <keyword id="6354779" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jaipur">Jaipur</keyword>.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The virus, which is transferred through the Aedes aegypti mosquito, causes fever and rashes and is particularly harmful to pregnant women, as it can lead to <keyword id="903822" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="microcephaly">microcephaly</keyword> in newborn children.<br /><br /></strong></li></ul>India’s has seen its fair share of <keyword id="44297" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Epidemic">epidemic</keyword> scares in recent years. <br /><br />In late 2014, the Ebola virus, which plagued West Africa for the better part of the year’s second half, reached New Delhi when a man tested positive for the disease after landing from Liberia. In 2017, three people in Gujarat tested positive for the Zika virus, which spread through South America in 2015 and 2016, affecting pregnant mothers. Earlier this year, in June, the state of Kerala was on high alert after 17 people died of the Nipah virus, which spreads from fruit bats. <br /><br />Last month, the Zika virus reared its head again, and this time it's quickly become the largest outbreak ever of the disease in India. On 9 October, officials from the health department of Rajasthan confirmed that there had been 29 verified cases of the Zika virus in the state. Following the news, the central government’s health ministry tried to assuage fears by claiming that the outbreak was under control. <br /><br />The first case of Zika was reported on <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/jaipur/rajasthan-health-department-on-toes-after-first-zika-casereported/story-nB3BCWc5nTLhIWxXqv82YN.html">23 September</a> in an 85-year old patient at the at the Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur. The virus, which is transferred through the Aedes aegypti mosquito, causes fever and rashes and is particularly harmful to pregnant women, as it can lead to microcephaly in newborn children. <br /><br />A majority of the current cases are limited to one particular area in Jaipur- Shastri Nagar. Since the first case was reported, the state government of Rajasthan has said it has tried to contain the damage while monitoring the full extent of the problem. It has placed more than 90 pregnant under watch, while checking 26,000 households and destroying 29,000 breeding grounds for mosquitoes in the locality, according to Veenu Gupta, a secretary in the state’s health ministry.<br /><br />For its part, the central government has also sent a team comprising officials from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme to Jaipur to keep tabs on the situation and assist state government officials. Around five labs have been set up all over the state to test blood samples from patients suspected of contracting the virus. <br />

India is dealing with its largest ever outbreak of the Zika virus

<ul class="summary-list"><li>There is no licensed vaccine that protects against Zika, a mosquito-borne virus that can result in birth defects.</li><li>Researchers at the University of Adelaide in Australia recently created a vaccine that can neutralize the virus in mice.</li><li>The experiment hasn't been replicated in humans yet, but it's showing early signs of promise.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Panic unfurled across the Americas in early 2015, as the Zika virus spread.</p><p>The World Health Organization <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180211072422/https://newsline.com/zika-virus-no-longer-international-emergency-still-threat/">declared an international emergency</a> in response to the epidemic in February 2016. By the time the emergency lifted at the end of that year, the virus had spread to 60 countries and been sexually transmitted in six (Argentina, Chile, France, Italy, New Zealand, and the US).</p><p>The crisis has <a href="https://fr.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUKKCN12409R">generated a race among scientists</a> to find a way to ward off the virus. But there is still no licensed vaccine that protects against Zika.</p><p>There is, however, some encouraging research. </p><p>In a paper <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/12/eaax2388">published in the journal Science Advances</a> on Wednesday, researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia report the results of an experiment that successfully protected mice against Zika infections. The experiment hasn't been replicated in humans yet, but the vaccine shows early signs of promise, according to the researchers.</p><h2>A DNA vaccine could protect people from future outbreaks</h2><p>The Zika virus, which is transferred to humans through infected mosquitoes, was first detected in Brazil. Infections often cause no symptoms, but they can result in birth defects and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/zika/healtheffects/gbs-qa.html">Guillain-Barré Syndrome</a>, a rare neurological disorder that can lead to paralysis in adults.</p><p>The virus can also be sexually transmitted between partners even if symptoms aren't present. </p><p>When a person contracts Zika, their antibodies try to fight off the infection by <a href="https://mbio.asm.org/content/10/5/e01485-19">attacking the virus' envelope</a>, which shields it from our immune defenses.</p><p>Many <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/r-emergent-valneva-zika-vaccine-clears-early-trial-2018-11">Zika vaccine trials</a> have targeted this envelope, but preliminary studies suggest that approach could <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/content/model-of-antibody-dependent-enhancement-of-dengue-22403433/">wind up making a person more vulnerable to similar viruses</a>, such as dengue, in the future. </p><p>So the University of Adelaide researchers tried a different approach. The vaccine they created uses genetically engineered DNA to stimulate the immune system so that it neutralizes the virus. This type of vaccine has shown potential to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/dna-vaccine">ward off multiple types of flaviviruses</a> (the family to which Zika belongs).</p><p>To test it out, the researchers injected the vaccine into the ears of 6- to 8-week-old albino mice. The mice each received three doses of the vaccine over the course of several weeks. By the end of the experiment, the vaccine had generated a strong immune response that helped protect the mice against the Zika virus.</p><p>Scientists <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/04/10/522775456/drugs-that-work-in-mice-often-fail-when-tried-in-people">often use mice to test early versions of medications and vaccines</a>, but many of those experiments fail once they move on to human trials. That means the researchers still have a long way to go before they can deliver a safe and effective Zika vaccine to the public.</p><p>But based on the results so far, the vaccine gets us a step closer to finding a way to protect the global population from Zika. According to the researchers, the vaccine "could be easily manufactured on a large scale at low cost." It would also be "safe for children and women of reproductive age," they write.</p>

A potential vaccine for the Zika virus just passed a major milestone: It protected mice from getting sick

<p><em><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Paula Bronstein/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Yonta, 6, rests with her sister Montra, 3, and brother Leakhena, 4 months, under a mosquito bed net keeping dry from the monsoon rain in Cambodia.</p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></em></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>As average temperatures rise around the world, the geographic area in which disease-carrying mosquitoes can <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reasons-why-mosquitoes-bite-you-more-2017-7">thrive and transmit illnesses</a> like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-mosquitoes-and-global-climate-change-2016-2">the Zika virus</a> and dengue fever is expected to grow.</li><li>According to a new study, if greenhouse gas emissions <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/greenland-approaching-threshold-of-irreversible-melting-2019-1">continue to rise unabated</a>, nearly 1 billion new people will be exposed to two species of disease-carrying mosquito over the next 60 years.</li><li>Europe, the US, and Canada in particular will see increased exposure.</li></ul><p>The danger of a mosquito bite extends far beyond a superficial skin irritation.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reasons-why-mosquitoes-bite-you-more-2017-7">These insects</a> can transmit fatal diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and the Zika virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists mosquitoes as one of the <a href="https://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/vector_ecology/mosquito-borne-diseases/en/">deadliest animals on the planet</a>, since they're responsible for millions of deaths every year worldwide.</p><p><span>Dengue fever alone is the leading cause of death in the tropics and subtropics, with up to 400 million people infected yearly, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/dengue/">according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)</a>.</span></p><p>Disease-carrying mosquitoes are - for now - only found within certain regions that have the temperature ranges those insects need to survive and thrive. But as the planet continues to warm (four of the past five years have been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oceans-warming-faster-than-we-thought-2019-1">the hottest on record</a>), mosquitoes' ranges are growing. Until now, temperatures have restricted the bugs to habitat belts around the Equator; however, they're beginning to venture farther north and south. </p><p><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007213">A new study</a> published today in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases<span> </span><span>forecasts how climate change is likely affect the range and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-mosquitoes-and-global-climate-change-2016-2">distribution of some virus-carrying mosquitoes</a>.</span></p><p><span>"We know t</span>hese bugs are gonna move, and so we looked at what's that going to mean for us," Sadie Ryan, a medical geography professor at the University of Florida and co-author of the new study, told Business Insider.</p><p>The study results showed that by 2050, the number of new people at risk of exposure to these diseases will approach 500 million. If greenhouse-gas emissions continue to rise unabated, nearly 1 billion new people will be exposed to these disease-carrying mosquito species by the year 2080.</p><h2><span>The consequences of climate change for human health</span></h2><p>Ryan said her research team wanted to "give a tangible view of what the risks are to human health" as temperatures rise and insects are able to live in more places.</p><p>So the study looked at future changes in the geographical distributions of two mosquito species that can transmit dengue fever, the chikungunya virus, and Zika: <em>Aedes aegypti </em>and <em>Aedes albopictus </em>(the Tiger mosquito). </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>TT/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">As the climate warms, mosquitoes will venture farther from the tropics.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Scientists know that <em>Ae. aegypti</em> needs temperatures between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit to thrive, while <em>Ae. albopitcus</em> prefers temperatures between 68 and 85 degrees. So the researchers modeled how average temperatures would change in different parts of the world by 2050 and 2080, based on<span> various greenhouse-gas emissions scenarios. They </span>then used that data to highlight new areas where the two mosquitoes could transmit diseases.</p><p>The results clearly showed that an increasing number of areas outside the tropics - and the people who live in those areas - will become vulnerable to mosquito-borne diseases within 60 years if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.</p><p>The study noted that 6 billion people currently live in areas suitable for <em>Ae. aegypti</em> transmission for at least part of the year, and 6.3 billion people live in areas suitable for <em>Ae. albopitcus </em>(with significant overlap between the two populations).</p><p>But by 2080 - in a "business-as-usual" scenario - an additional 1 billion people will be added to this at-risk group. </p><h2><span>Same diseases, new places</span></h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Dorioconnell/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">By 2080, more than 1 billion people could be newly exposed to mosquito-borne diseases.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>According to the study authors, northern areas like Europe, the US, and Canada can expect to deal with these mosquito-borne illnesses in the future. </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">"Places like Europe, North America, and high elevations in the tropics that used to be too cold for the viruses will face new diseases like dengue,"</span> Colin Carlson, a co-author of the new study, said <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/gumc-1pw032119.php">in a press release</a>. </p><p>"The leading edge [of the mosquitoes' range] is rising northward and will hit European populations that are historically dense," Ryan said.</p><p>Interestingly, the authors found that a "business-as-usual" scenario would lead some areas in southwest Asia and west Africa to get too hot for <em>Ae. albopitcus</em>, reducing the number of number of people at risk from that species there.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty Images/Tom Ervin</span></p><p class="caption">Different mosquito species have different optimal temperature ranges and transmit different diseases.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Ryan and her co-authors also noted that regions in which populations lack previous exposure to mosquito-borne diseases are particularly at risk for explosive outbreaks when new illnesses are introduced.</p><p>The 2015 Zika virus outbreak in the Americas is a prime example of that. The virus - and its association with birth defects - <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/zika-virus">prompted the World Health Organization</a> to declare "a public health emergency of international concern" after the virus spread rapidly across <span>the Americas, with as many as 4 million infections in 12 months.</span></p><p><span><em><strong>Read More:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-mosquitoes-and-global-climate-change-2016-2">There's a worrisome problem at the heart of the Zika-virus crisis that no one is talking about</a></em></span></p><h2>It might be cheaper to tackle emissions than control mosquitoes</h2><p>Ryan hopes these study results will be seen "less as the doom and gloom of 'it's all getting worse,' but rather as data that gives us the opportunity to plan for the future."</p><p>Limiting climate change would protect hundreds of millions of people from a new risk of viruses, the authors wrote. <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/115/24/6243">Another recent study</a> came to a similar conclusion: It found that limiting the world's temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels could prevent 3.3 million dengue cases per year in the Americas alone, compared to a future with no emissions reductions. </p><p>Currently, Ryan is also working to estimate the future spread of malaria under a similar model of climate change. Malaria is transmitted by female mosquitoes of the <em>Anopheles </em>species; in 2017 alone, the disease <a href="https://www.who.int/malaria/en/">caused 435,000 deaths</a> worldwide. </p><p>"This model is just one tool in a great big tool box," Ryan said. "Now that we know what will happen under different scenarios, we have options on the table."</p><p>Ryan said vector control - <span>efforts to limit or eradicate insects</span><span> that transmit diseases - isn't necessarily easier or cheaper than curbing greenhouse-gas emissions. Typical strategies for eliminating Zika-carrying mosquitoes, <a href="https://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/news/mosquito_vector_control_response/en/">for example</a>, include targeted insecticide spraying, the killing of larvae, and personal protection via repellents, nets, and clothing. </span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Earnie Grafton</span></p><p class="caption">San Diego County officials hand spray a two block area to help prevent the mosquito-borne transmission of the Zika virus in San Diego, California, U.S. August 19, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span>All of those methods cost a lot of money, Ryan said. Plus, they could lead to a rise in insecticide resistance among mosquitoes - and dealing with that scary situation would be </span>"far more costly than mitigating climate change," she added.</p><p>Regardless of what action we take, Ryan's study yet again highlights the very real threat that climate change poses to our species' own health. </p><p><span style="color: #000000;">As Carlson put it in a press release, </span>"climate change is the largest and most comprehensive threat to global health security." </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mosquitoes-bite-you-more-if-you-do-5-things-2017-7">5 things that make mosquitoes bite you more</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Mosquitoes that transmit the Zika virus and dengue fever may have access to 1 billion more people in the years ahead

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP/Felipe Dana</span></p><p class="caption">The Zika virus is already known to cause microcephaly (pictured), but scientists now believe it may cause severe joint deformities, and could also live in the sperm of infected men twice as long as previously thought.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/what-is-the-zika-virus-and-how-will-it-affect-me-2016-6">Zika virus</a> spent the past year ravaging Latin America and the Caribbean, and recently made its way into the continetnal US, where it is believed to be spreading locally in Florida.</p><p>Health officials have already confirmed that the virus can cause a birth defect called microcephaly - in which babies have abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains <span>- and that </span>the mosquito-borne virus can be spread from an infected person to his or her partner.</p><p>This week, scientists have revealed new discoveries about the virus,<span> including another defect it may cause and findings about the amount of time it can live in sperm.</span></p><p>These discoveries make Zika all the more horrifying.</p><h3>Scientists believe the virus may also cause severe joint deformities.</h3><p>In a new study, scientists linked the virus to another birth defect called arthrogryposis, which is marked by severe problems with joint movement and muscle weakness, according to a report by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/09/zika-virus-could-be-linked-with-whole-spectrum-of-disorders">Guardian</a>. </p><p>Babies with the condition often have severe deformities, with their joints in abnormal, curved positions.</p><p>The condition's link to Zika is not yet officially confirmed, but the rare defect has appeared in seven children born in the autumn of 2015. Six of the children in the study had been found to have Zika-related microcephaly, as well.</p><h3>Zika has also been found to live in sperm for up to six months, which is twice as long as previously believed.</h3><p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/transmission/sexual-transmission.html">currently recommends </a>that men who have traveled to areas with active Zika transmission abstain from unprotected sex for six months after returning, if he exhibits symptoms of the virus. But, until now, the longest period of time in which Zika had been found in the semen of an infected man was 93 days.</p><p>However, two new case reports suggest that the virus can be found in sperm for up to six months after initial infection, according to <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2016/08/11/zika-virus-semen-sexual-activity/">STAT</a>.</p><p>Two men who contracted Zika in Haiti early this year kept testing positive for the virus, even though their initial transmission had occurred six months prior. One of the men's semen tested positive 188 days after his initial Zika symptoms, while the other man tested positive 181 days later.</p><h3>The CDC said it is reviewing the sperm issue to see if its recommendations need to be updated.</h3><p>"We want to make the most informed recommendation as rapidly as possible based on full evaluation of the available science," Dr. John T. Brooks, a senior medical adviser at the CDC, told STAT.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-cupping-benefits-of-cupping-2016-8">The whole world is talking about cupping because of the Olympics</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="BxeHE4NTE60HSvAuWYPd3Y8sidBMzJ41" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The Zika virus just became even more terrifying

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker/File Photo</span></p><p class="caption">Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen inside Oxitec laboratory in Campinas, Brazil, February 2, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers deadlocked over funding to fight the Zika virus on Tuesday, as Senate Democrats blocked a Republican proposal they said fell short of the challenge posed by the mosquito-borne virus and hurt other health priorities.</p><p>Amid political recriminations by both parties, the Republican plan to provide $1.1 billion in funding to combat Zika, which had already passed the House of Representatives, failed to get the 60 votes needed in the Senate to clear a procedural hurdle. The vote was 52 in favor and 48 against on a mostly party-line vote.</p><p>It was unclear when Congress would revisit the issue. Democrats urged bipartisan talks, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said lawmakers would address the matter again sometime after the July 4 national holiday next week.</p><p>Both sides warned the other that there could be a political price to pay in an election year for stalling on Zika funding, with the summer mosquito season under way and with it the threat of the virus spreading.</p><p>"Here we are, in an utterly absurd position, playing political games as this public health crisis mounts here in our country," McConnell said.</p><p>The Zika virus, which has swept through the Americas and Caribbean since last fall, has been linked to thousands of cases of microcephaly, a rare birth defect, in Brazil, as well as to neurological disorders. It has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization.</p><p>There have not yet been any cases reported of local transmission of the Zika virus in the continental United States, but there have been 820 cases that were acquired from travel to areas with active Zika outbreaks, or through sexual transmission. There have been more than 1,800 cases of Zika infection reported in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory in the Caribbean.</p><p>Health experts expect local transmission to occur in the continental United States with warmer weather.</p><p>Democrats have been urging Republicans for months to agree to Zika funding. The Republican plan would have funded mosquito control efforts by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, as well as vaccine research by the National Institutes of Health, and money for community health centers in areas that are experiencing the highest rates of Zika transmission.</p><p>But Democrats complained that Republicans locked them out of drafting the $1.1 billion funding plan, which would have made $750 million in budget cuts elsewhere. The Republican plan, rushed through the House last week, would have taken money from battling the Ebola virus as well as from funds set aside for implementing the Obamacare health insurance program in U.S. territories.</p><p>The Senate last month agreed to a bipartisan bill allocating the same amount - $1.1 billion - to fight Zika, but without cutting any other programs.</p><p><strong>DISPUTE OVER PLANNED PARENTHOOD</strong></p><p>Democrats were especially angry that the Republican proposal that failed on Tuesday would not allow funding to go to private entities such as the women's healthcare provider Planned Parenthood, although the Zika virus can be sexually transmitted.</p><p>"I don't know what universe (McConnell) is living in. What does he think, we're all stupid, the American people are dumb? They're not. They understand what's going here," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid declared after the vote.</p><p>President Barack Obama, a Democrat, had vowed to veto the plan, which falls short of his $1.9 billion request, if it ever arrived on his desk.</p><p>Republicans charged that the Democrats were blocking the measure mainly because it included no funding for Planned Parenthood, a non-profit group that Democrats and Republicans have been skirmishing over for years. It provides health exams, screening and contraception services to women.</p><p>Republicans have previously sought to cut off all federal funding to the group, which also provides abortions. Planned Parenthood says abortions make up just three percent of its work.</p><p>Republican Senator John Thune, referring to Planned Parenthood, charged on Monday that Democrats were more interested in pleasing a what he called a special interest group than in acting on Zika.</p><p>U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies. The WHO has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.</p><p>(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and David Morgan; Editing by Bill Trott and Frances Kerry)</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/exercise-six-pack-abs-workout-2016-6">An exercise scientist reveals how to get six-pack abs</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="VpazNiNDE63KBq5y6Gwk_Op1wXaaHQeK" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Lawmakers deadlock on agreeing funds to fight Zika virus

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">Zika mosquito</p></div><p></p></div></div>There's a new disease that's spreading in South America, and it could hit the United States soon. </p><p>It's called the Zika virus, and there is no cure for it.</p><p>There's some good news, and some bad news with Zika. </p><p>First, the good news: It's not fatal. It's mostly like gettting a cold, or a fever. </p><p>The bad news: If it infects pregnant women, it can lead to birth defects in their children.</p><p>Even worse news: There is no<span> rapid diagnostic test to detect the virus in a newly-infected person.</span></p><p><span></span>So, you have a quickly spreading virus, that can't be detected that can lead to birth defects in newborns.</p><p>On Thursday, <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/w/world_health_organization/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about World Health Organization" class="meta-org">World Health Organization</a> officials said the virus was "spreading explosively" in the region. On Tuesday, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-comments-on-zika-virus-2016-1">President Obama voiced his concerns</a> for the Zika virus here in the US, calling for more research into ways to stop the spread of the disease.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="254" data-total-count="254"><span></span>An emergency meeting to decide whether or not to declare the situation a public health emergency is scheduled for Monday.</p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="254" data-total-count="254">This is not the first time the alarm bells have been sounded. Earlier in January, <span><span>Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/zika-virus-has-come-america-sort-n494731">told NBC News</a> that he was "very worried about Zika."</span></span></p><p class="story-body-text story-content" data-para-count="254" data-total-count="254"><span><span>Hotez, who's also the Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, said that while a single<span> tourist is unlikely to be the cause of an outbreak here,</span> some American cities could be vulnerable to Zika's</span> spread.</span></p><p><span><span>"We have to act now," Hotez said. </span></span></p><h2><span><span>The problem with Zika: Low-level symptoms and potentially serious consequences </span></span></h2><p><span><span>Hotez added that one of the biggest issues with the Zika virus, which is spread by a certain species of mosquito called <em>Aedes aegypti,</em> is that it "</span></span><span><span>tends to produce low-level symptoms." They include </span></span><span><span>fever, rash, join pain, and red eyes. But there's a bigger problem, too: Once infected, only about</span></span><span><span> 20% of people with Zika ever show those symptoms, <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/index.html">according to the CDC</a>. Plus, the<span> illness is typically mild - symptoms usually last anywhere from several days to a week, and hospitalization is rarely necessary.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span>But the virus, while not necessarily damning in and of itself, has been linked with a far more concerning problem: babies born with abnormally small heads, a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-is-spreading-2016-1">serious condition known as microcephaly</a>. <span>After some mothers showed symptoms of the virus during their pregnancy, their babies were born with the condition. </span></span></span></p><p><span>Since the outbreak of the Zika virus in April 2015, Brazil has documented <span>4,180 cases </span>of the condition in babies born to women who were infected during their pregnancy - 20 times the rate of the previous year and a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/health/zika-virus-spreading-explosively-in-americas-who-says.html">7% increase</a> from the number recorded just last week.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Felipe Dana/AP Images</span></p><p class="caption">A baby in Brazil with microcephaly.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Where the virus is now</h2><p>So far, the disease has been identified in a number of states in people who recently traveled to areas where the virus is being transmitted locally. Local transmission of the virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, has been documented in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-expanded-travel-advisories-2016-1">Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands</a> as well. </p><p>Here are the 24 countries and territories where the virus had been transmitted locally as of Wednesday:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Dylan Roach/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In the US, no local transmission of the virus has been documented yet - so far it has only been diagnosed in people who've recently traveled to places where it is being transmitted locally.</p><h2>What you need to know about Zika in the US</h2><p>While there has not been any local transmission via mosquitos in the US yet, <a href="http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=11605&amp;Itemid=0&amp;lang=en">the WHO has previously warned of </a>this possibility. Zika is spread by <em style="line-height: 1.5em;">Aedes aegypti </em>mosquitos,<em style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </em>which are prevalent in many American countries and thrive in tropical climates. This is why experts like Hotez have warned of it popping up in areas in the US with wet lowlands, warm temperatures, and species of mosquito that can transmit the virus.</p><p>"I am quite worried about Zika taking off on the Gulf coast," Hotez told NBC News.</p><p>The first reported case of a traveler with Zika in the US was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-in-us-2016-1">in Texas</a>. Since then, travelers have tested positive for the Zika virus in <a href="http://abc7ny.com/health/3-new-yorkers-test-positive-for-zika-virus-according-to-officials/1170563/">New York</a>, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-california-idUSKCN0V523T">Los Angeles</a>, and in other countries <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-zika-virus-found-in-danish-tourist-returning-from-south-america-hospital-2016-1">outside the Americas</a>.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-affecting-us-travelers-cdc-warns-2016-1">An untreatable virus that's linked to birth defects is now affecting the US</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NhOWtiMDE6F54IhgaZAEgGteumGrwGr3" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A simple explanation of the 'explosive' and untreatable Zika virus

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p><p class="caption">Health workers spay insecticide in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Parts of Latin and South America are in the middle of an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/zika-virus-local-transmission-cases-2016-1" target="_blank">outbreak of the Zika Virus that's spread by mosquito bites</a>.</p><p>The virus is particularly dangerous for pregnant women whose fetuses are susceptible to a condition called microcephaly.</p><p>According to the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/microcephaly.html" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, microcephaly is a birth defect in which a baby's head and brain are smaller and less-developed than others of the same age. </p><p>At the moment, there are no vaccines to prevent, and no medicines to treat the Zika virus. </p><p>Thus far, 24 countries worldwide - including Mexico and Brazil - have reported active transmissions of the Zika virus. </p><p>Now airlines are reacting to the outbreak by offering passengers with tickets to infected regions the opportunity to change their plans, free of charge.</p><p>Here's what a few of the world's largest airlines are doing in reaction to the outbreak.</p><h2><strong>American Airlines</strong>:</h2><p>American Airlines' policy will allow a customer to receive a refund if they provide a doctor's note stating that they are unable to travel to affected countries or territories due to their pregnancy.</p><p>Affected countries include Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.</p><p>"<span>We are also closely monitoring the situation, and will make changes to our current policy if necessary," American told Business Insider in an email.</span></p><h2><span><strong>Delta Air Lines</strong>:</span></h2><p><span>In response to the Zika outbreak, Delta issued the following travel advisory:</span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><span>Customers with current reservations who are concerned about traveling to destinations reported by the CDC to be affected by Zika Viral Illness should call 1-800-221-1212 (U.S.) or your local Reservations office and speak with a Delta Representative.</span><br /><br /><span>Customers may qualify for a change to alternate destinations, travel dates or a refund. Customers may make fee-waived changes to future reservations/tickets. However, changes need to be made by February 29, 2016.</span></span></p><h2><span><span><strong>United Airlines</strong>:</span></span></h2><p><span><span>United Airlines has not issued an advisory for the affected areas, but the airline will offer refunds to customers who are pregnant, who no longer wish to travel. </span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Pregnant women with tickets to affected areas can receive refunds," An United spokesperson told Business Insider via email. "Rather than issuing an advisory, we ask customers to reach out to us directly."</span></span></span></p><h2><span><span><span><strong>Air France</strong>:</span></span></span></h2><p><span><span><span>In response to the outbreak, Air France has issued to following statement to Business Insider:</span></span></span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span><span><span><span>Air France confirms that the Zika virus has had no impact on its flight operations and service to the destinations concerned. The Company continues to closely monitor the situation, and is in direct contact with the French and international health authorities (French Health Ministry, WHO, CDC, ECDC, IATA, etc.).</span><br /><span>Announcements are made on board flights to the regions affected by the virus to inform customers about the precautionary measures to observe. </span><span>Flight crews have also been informed about these same measures.</span></span></span></span></p><h2><span><span><span><span><strong>British Airways</strong>:</span></span></span></span></h2><p><span>"If a pregnant customer is due to travel up to and including February 29, but they no longer wish to travel," British Airways said in an email to Business Insider. "They can change their booking free of charge and delay their journey or amend to an alternative destination."</span><br /><br /><span>"This applies to flights to Brazil, Mexico, Barbados and Dominican Republic, and we will continue to review the situation."</span></p><h2>Here are all the countries affected by Zika virus outbreak:</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Dylan Roach/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/head-shrinking-zika-virus-is-coming-to-the-us-2016-1">An infectious disease specialist told us the best ways to protect yourself from the untreatable Zika virus</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="FyMjhoMDE6bUDx8g1aOELFiH-Xh2sTx8" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Here's how airlines are reacting to the Zika virus outbreak

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>AP/Felipe Dana</span></p><p class="caption">A baby born with the birth defect microcephaly, caused by fetal transmission of the Zika virus.</p></div><p></p></div></div>For months now, the Zika virus has been making headlines.</p><p>The mosquito-borne virus has been ravaging Latin America and the Caribbean for the past year, leading to a surge of babies born with birth defects. The virus is also projected to strike the US any day now. </p><p>"It's going to be certain pockets of the United States, and it's going to be for a certain period of time, because of the seasonality of the mosquito," Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior associate at the UPMC Center for Health Security, told <keyword id="79969" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="insider">INSIDER</keyword>.</p><p>With so much information out there about the virus, here's what you really need to know about Zika.</p><h2>Zika is transmitted by a mosquito that is local to certain US states in summer months.</h2><p>The virus has been making its way around Latin American and the Carribbean <span>- striking Brazil the hardest <span>- since May 2015.</span></span></p><p><span><span>It is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which requires warm weather to survive. That's why it hasn't popped up in the US yet. But, officials expect it to enter the continental US soon.</span></span></p><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito (pictured).</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Right now, there's no evidence of any local transmission or local circulation going on with Zika. However, I do believe we will start to see it in places like Key West and Texas. It's just a matter of time," <span>Adalja</span> said. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">But the continental US spread of the virus isn't expected to be widespread. Instead, the <a href="http://www.thisisinsider.com/where-cdc-is-doing-zika-prevention-in-us-2016-6">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> has said California, Texas, Florida, Hawaii, Arizona and Louisiana are the most at risk.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It's not going to be on the scale of what's going on in Brazil," <span>Adalja said.</span></span></p><h2>The virus poses the greatest threat to pregnant women and fetuses.</h2><p>When a pregnant woman is infected with Zika, the virus can spread to the fetus as well. If it does reach the fetus, the virus can disrupt the formation of the brain.</p><h2>It can lead to massive brain damage in babies.</h2><p>That can lead to a birth defect called microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains, among other issues.</p><p>"It's not just microcephaly <span>-</span> a lot of us are no longer calling it microcephaly, we're calling it fetal brain disruption sequence," Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told INSIDER. </p><p>Hotez explained that he believes microcephaly is just the tip of the iceberg.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Andre Penner/AP</span></p><p class="caption"> Children may face other neurological disorders from Zika exposure, an expert warned. Pictured here, a baby with microcephaly. </p></div><p></p></div></div>"We're just beginning now to study the clinical impact of the virus. There could be many other adverse neurological outcomes," Hotez said. </span> </p><h2>In rare cases, the virus can paralyze adults.</h2><p>Experts say 80% of adults infected with Zika virus don't exhibit any symptoms, while 20% tend to demonstrate only <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/">mild symptoms</a>, including fever, rash and eye pain.</p><p>However, the virus has also been linked to an autoimmune disorder called <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/gbs-qa.html">Guillain-Barré </a>(which causes temporary paralysis) and <a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1602964">Meningoencephalitis</a>, inflammation of the brain and brain covering.</p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Symptoms like Guillain-Barré and Meningoencephalitis are all rare complications, so you have to be on the alert for them," Adalja said.</span></p><p>And so, for the most part, Zika isn't as much of a threat for adults who aren't expecting a child or trying to conceive. </p><h2>Men can transmit the virus to sexual partners.</h2><p>While initial Zika infection comes from a mosquito, the virus can also be transmitted <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/transmission/">sexually</a>, from an infected male to his sexual partner.</p><p>According to the CDC, there have been known cases of transmission from infected men through vaginal, anal and oral (mouth-to-penis) sex without a condom, since the virus is believed to be transmitted through semen.</p><p>Zika can live in semen <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/zika/transmission/sexual-transmission.html">longer</a> than it lives in blood, but no one knows how long it can live in semen.</p><p>That's why men who have been infected with Zika are urged to use condoms every time they have sex with a pregnant partner, to reduce the likelihood that the virus passes to the baby.</p><h2>Testing for the virus in fetuses can be tricky.</h2><p>Zika can be detected in adults through blood and urine tests, Dr. Komal Bajaj, an OB/GYN at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, told INSIDER.</p><p>But the problem with that is, the virus only lasts in blood and urine for about a week. So, if a pregnant woman suspects she may have Zika, her fetus needs to be tested right away to determine if that is the case.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Leo Correa/AP Images</span></p><p class="caption">There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the virus.</p></div><p></p></div></div>However, in order for the fetus to be tested, the pregnant woman has to undergo amniocentesis, w<span style="font-weight: 400;">hich uses an ultrasound to guide a needle into the uterus to extract amniotic fluid. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, the procedure cannot be performed until the 16th week of pregnancy, Bajaj explained. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, if a mother exhibits symptoms earlier on in her pregnancy, the fetus cannot be tested and the mother has to wait until around the 20th week of pregnancy before any potential microcephaly symptoms show up in an ultrasound.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It's a very interesting balance between trying to get information but recognizing the limitation of the testing we already have available," Bajaj said.</span></p><h2><strong>There is no vaccine yet.</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the moment, there is no vaccine to protect people from Zika transmission.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, just days ago, U.S. health officials gave the<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-experimental-zika-vaccine-to-begin-human-testing-2016-6"> green light</a> for human testing of an experimental vaccine. Inovio Pharmaceuticals recently said it received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to start on early-stage safety tests of a DNA-based vaccine.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Otherwise, the National Institute of Health has stated that it expects to begin testing its own DNA-based vaccine by early fall.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But even though these vaccines may be tested soon, there is still nothing that can currently protect people from the virus, aside from taking precautions to guard themselves from mosquito bites and sexual transmission.</span></p><h2>No one knows what impact Zika will have on the US quite yet.</h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There have been no reports of locally transmitted Zika cases in the continental US yet. That either means the virus hasn't arrived yet, or it could potentially be starting to circulate undetected, according to Hotez.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"My concern is that Zika cases are here and people aren't really looking," Hotez said.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So people in areas that are projected to have local Zika transmissions should keep an eye out for any potential Zika-related symptoms, the doctor noted.</span></p><h2><strong>There is still so much we don't know - and that's why it's so terrifying.</strong></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the biggest problems with Zika at the moment is that doctors just don't know what to expect. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They don't know the degree to which it will strike the US, though they're able to predict where it could potentially hit based on previous mosquito-borne viruses, such as dengue and chikungunya. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And on top of that, they don't yet know the entire scope of the harm that Zika can cause on fetuses, children or even adults.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The reason why people should care about Zika is that there's a lot that is unknown, but the fact that it has a propensity for the neurologic system leaves a lot of questions unanswered," Bajaj said.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chocolate-luge-dessert-from-union-fare-in-nyc-2016-6">An ingenious chef created a chocolate luge dessert</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="doaHB3MzE6J3dXtyx-g185LlEp0VdO6F" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Here's everything you need to know about the Zika virus

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Rory McIlroy has announced that he will skip the upcoming Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for fear of contracting Zika, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/36595631" target="_blank">via BBC Sport</a>.</p><p><span>"Even though the risk of infection from the Zika virus is considered low, it is a risk nonetheless and a risk I am unwilling to take," McIlroy said in a statement.</span></p><p>The announcement puts McIlroy's name on a growing list of sports figures who are skipping the games because they don't want to risk contracting this mystery disease. What this does to the popularity of the games remains to be seen, specifically here in the case of golf. Several other big names, such as Louis Oosthuizen, Vijay Singh, and Adam Scott, among others, have opted out as well.</p><p>Furthermore, this development yet again sparks the debate of whether going and competing in this year's games is really worth it. McIlroy justified not going by saying, "After speaking with those closest to me, I've come to realize that my health and my family's health comes before anything else."</p><p>This obviously is a huge topic of conversation and many who have already withdrawn from the games share the same argument. It's intriguing and it's definitely something to monitor with only about 6 weeks remaining until the games begin on August 5th.</p><p>What'll be even more interesting is how this all affects the level of competition at the games. With some of the best talent out, who will step up and put their names in the history books. But that's a discussion for another article.</p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-nba-draft-busts-rookie-2016-6">WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The biggest NBA Draft busts of all time</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="FtMGg0eToKCIVTCnA5hHtRELhDw-oDVs" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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