世界の人々を「小頭症はジカウィルス(だけ)が引き起こしている」と錯覚させるような報道ばかりのところ(WHOとブラジル政府、ビル・ゲーツ財団寄り)、いくつか海外のメディアでは、それを疑問視する医師・専門家の意見を載せるようになってきています。
医療専門家たちの疑問とは「小頭症とジカウィルスの関連はない」「原因は他にある」という類のものではなく、「仮説と事実の混同」に警鐘を鳴らしているものです。
ABCの記事が、ブラジルや米国の専門家たちの声を紹介していました。
リンクと、抜粋を貼り付けます。
ABC(2016.2.26)
Experts Contend Brazil Is Exaggerating Zika Crisis
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/experts-contend-brazil-exaggerating-zika-crisis-37191525
抜粋1:
"It's a global scandal. Brazil has created a worldwide panic," said Alexandre Dias Porto Chiavegatto Filho, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Sao Paulo, one of the most-respected universities in Latin America. "I'm not saying that Zika is not causing microcephaly, but I am saying that the ministry has yet to present any scientifically credible evidence to support that conclusion."
"抜粋2:
Every week, the evidence is "getting stronger and stronger," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday. He cited several published cases where the virus was found after fetal or newborn deaths.
Still, despite the heavyweight support and anecdotal evidence, some critics are not satisfied.
抜粋3:
Luis Correia, who teaches scientific method at the Bahia School of Medicine and Public Health, said the small-scale studies cited by health officials don't equal proof.
"There appears to be a sort of scientific illiteracy within the ministry that has led them to mix up association with causality," said Correia. "They are confusing hypothesis with fact."
抜粋4:
"It's very difficult to make any conclusions based on this data," said Eugene Brusilovskiy, a statistics lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. "The weight of the reporting is not uniform. There is also not uniformity from state to state, or from week to week."
(2月27日のブログで、Dr.Rubin(ハーバード公衆衛生大学院)の「スロベニアの小頭症胎児の解剖だけでは「コッホの原則」を満たしていない」という意見を紹介しましたが、これは大手メディアでは報道されていたのか・・・。)
ところで、WHOはジカ熱対策に5600万ドルを加盟国に要請していますが(日本政府は「ジカ熱僕熱」のために、中南米諸国に100万ドルを拠出する決定を採択していますが、WHOにはまた別に出すのでしょうか?)、そのうち2500万ドルはWHO側費用にあてるとのことです。
(残りは、ワクチン開発と研究費、感染防止)