Prevent Zika birth defects with Vitamin D
Zika birth problems can be virtually prevented when women have enough vitamin D during their first trimester:
Vitamin D strengthens woman's immune system
Vitamin D strengthens the placenta immune system
Enough vitamin D might be provided by a single dose of 200,000 IU vitamin D
$1 approximate cost of 200,000 IU of vitamin D*
More vitamin D needed if overweight: (500,000 IU if obese - Vitamin D gets locked away in fatty tissue)
This same immune system benefit is obtained from about 4 days of sunbathing**
Vitamin D from the sun appears to provide about 3X more benefit than capsule.
Sunbathing for a day provides about 16,000 IU of vitamin D * * Note: more ‘’days’’ are needed for those with darker skin or if overweight * * Note: A single large dose (200,000 IU) strengthens immune systems for more than 1 month, thus one
- 50,000 IU capsule = benefit to immune system of about 1 day of sunbathing
Cost concerns:
- Funding options include:
- Donations by citizens of each country
- Donations by foreign citizens - similar to disaster relief
- Money from tourist organizations/companies
- Money from AID agencies
- Paid by the pregnant woman getting the vitamin D
- Donation of vitamin D by suppliers
Education/marketing costs
Distribution costs to be covered
Number of pregancies (30,000 to 1,000,000)
Number of countries (1 to 30)
Timing - Needs to be started today!
Assuming 400 million people live in Zika affected countries
Assuming 10 pregancies annually per 1,000 population
Assuming only 1 in 4 are near Zika infected regions
About 1 million pregnant women can benefit from strengthened immune systems
Other situations to be considered soon
Woman might become pregnant (might need booster shot of vitamin D every 2 months)
Man or woman traveling to a Zika region
Woman already suspected to have Zika (with or without symptoms)
Woman previously had Zika and then got pregnant (probably no vitamin D needed)
Probably prevent Zika symptoms
Prevent GBS and other problems
Also reduce symptoms from Dengue, Chikungunya and other mosquito virus
Microcephalic rates per 10,000 pregnancies
| UK | 1.2 Pre-Zika |
| US | 10 Pre-Zika (4,800/year) |
| Brazil | 95 per Zika infection during 1st trimester |
Vitamin D is a very cost effective way to not scare off the tourists
Expectation: fewer Zika birth problems ==> fewer tourists lost
| Example Country | Annual $ Tourism | Annual births | Notes |
| Brazil | $ 1,900,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 1,000 confirmed Microcephalics as of April 14, 2016 3,000 still being investigated |
| Puerto Rico | $ 900,000,000 | 33,000 | 1 in 5 expected to get Zika PR is an open portal to US |