Zika: Worse than we thought?

Follow me at @JohnRossMD Back in January, Dr. Anne Schuchat, Deputy Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), didn’t seem all that worried about Zika. She expected it to cause only “very limited outbreaks” in the United States. Now, she’s not so sure. Last week, Dr. Schuchat admitted that Zika virus “seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought.” Her unusual comments may be aimed partly at Congress, which has been reluctant to fund Zika control measures. But there are several reasons that public health officials are more nervous about Zika now than they were a few months ago. Our latest findings on Zika The evidence linking Zika infection in pregnancy and reduced fetal brain growth (microcephaly) has grown. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, says that it is “now clear that the virus causes microcephaly.” In the laboratory, Zika virus can infect and kill developing nerve cells similar to those found in the fetal brain. Field studies in Brazil have confirmed a large spike in cases of microcephaly during the current Zika outbreak. The risk of microcephaly was increased five-fold in parts of Brazil with active Zika transmission, compared to areas where Zika was absent. In another Brazilian study, 29% of otherwise healthy pregnant women with Zika infection had an abnormal fetal ultrasound, with findings that included microcephaly, fetal growth restriction, and fetal death. These findings were not seen in pregnant women without Zika infection. The...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Family Planning and Pregnancy Health Infectious diseases Prevention Travel health zika zika virus Source Type: news