Zika: Virus linked to microcephaly found in baby's brains
The World Health Organisation has delcared Zika a public health emergency
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Zika has been found in babies with a form of brain damage known as microcephaly, in the latest piece of evidence which suggests a link between the virus and the condition which makes heads appear shrunken.
Brazilian scientists have found the virus active in the brains of two babies who died 48 hours after being born, BBC News reported.
The World Health Organisation recently declared a global emergency over Zika, due to suspected connections between the otherwise relatively mild fever and newborns with microcephaly in Central and South American countries.
Researchers are now racing to confirm the link, as well as find a vaccine and cure for Zika.
In Brazil, the worst affected nation, around 460 cases of microcephaly have been recorded among a further 3,850 suspected cases since late 2015.
The scientists at the PUC-Parana University made their findings after monitoring the pregnancies of 10 women in the north-eastern state of Paraiba.
"We have detected its presence in the brain tissue," Lucia Noronha, a pathologist from the Brazilian Society of Pathology and who is part of the team at the PUC-Parana University, told AFP.
"The Zika virus caused brain damage and that reinforces evidence of a relationship between Zika and microcephaly," she said.
The findings come after Argentinian doctors sparked controversy by claiming that larvicide used in drinking water which targets the Zika-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito had caused microcephaly.
Brazilian health officials dismissed the claims that pyriproxyfen was behind the spike in microcephaly, after one state stopped using the chemical in light of the report, according to The Telegraph.
“It’s important to state that some localities that do not use pyriproxyfen also had reported cases of microcephaly,” the government said in a statement.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments