Why The Zika Virus Really Matters

There is a new virus that is probably one of the biggest threats to the well being of the America's and more.
From the Guardian: The Zika virus outbreak in Latin America could be a bigger threat to global health than the Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in Africa.
That is the stark claim of several senior health experts ahead of an emergency meeting of the World Health Organisation on Monday which will decide whether the Zika threat – which is linked to an alarming rise in cases of foetal deformation called microcephaly – should be rated a global health crisis.
“In many ways the Zika outbreak is worse than the Ebola epidemic of 2014-15,” said Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust. “Most virus carriers are symptomless. It is a silent infection in a group of highly vulnerable individuals – pregnant women – that is associated with a horrible outcome for their babies.”
There is no prospect of a vaccine for Zika at present, in contrast to Ebola, for which several are now under trial. “The real problem is that trying to develop a vaccine that would have to be tested on pregnant women is a practical and ethical nightmare,” added Mike Turner, head of infection and immuno-biology at the Wellcome Trust.
 With at least 80% of those infected showing no symptoms, tracking the disease is extremely difficult. The mosquito species that spreads Zika, Aedes aegypti, has been expanding its range over the past few decades. “It loves urban life and has spread across the entire tropical belt of the planet, and of course that belt is expanding as global warming takes effect,” added Farrar.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/30/zika-virus-health-fears
This virus is worse than most diseases.  With Ebola, cancer, heart conditions and such, well, those absolutely suck but the person who gets these diseases usually still have their mind and can live a decent life.  With Ebola, you get and die fairly quickly.
But with the Zika Virus, you will have a child who will be severely, profoundly mentally challenged for their entire life.  Most will have a mental age of maybe 0-2 years old their entire life.  They will need around the clock care to feed, change diapers, educate etc..  Many these kids will have to be fed through a tube because they are unable to swallow.  Most will never talk and even if they know a few words, it won't be enough to carry on a conversation.  These kids will never go to college, get married and many will be in wheelchairs.
They will cost society millions of dollars for each child, from birth to death to care for and educate them.  In the U.S., it will severely tax the Social Security system.  It will also strain the health care system and the special education in the United States.  And when their parents die, then they will need someone, and in many cases it will up to government, to care for them.
how do I know this?  Because I work with the severely disabled, and among those kids I work with, I have worked with many people with microcephaly and severe brain damage.
Brazil already has 4000 cases and that will cost Brazil billions of dollars for the kid's lifetime of care.
So, what can the United States do?
For starters, start restricting people who come into the U.S., especially pregnant women from areas/countries that have the Zika Virus.  Then, at the border, they have decontaminate everyone all property that comes into the U.S. and of course, clamp down on illegals who may be coming into the U.S.
I really, really hope that President Obama and his administration really take this seriously but from what I have read, they don't and because of this, the U.S. will be severely harmed.