Zika virus news: Study confirms mosquito-borne virus' link to microcephaly

(Carlos Jasso / Reuters)A medical researcher works on results of tests for preventing the spread of the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases. Carlos Jasso / Reuters

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed, Wednesday, the link between the Zika virus and microcephaly, the congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development.

CDC director Tom Frieden told members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that they have identified the virus in the tissue of two deceased babies from Brazil with microcephaly, USA Today reports.

Frieden added that the findings are the strongest evidence so far that point microcephaly as Zika-related. However, he emphasized that the results only confirmed the link of the two; there is still no definitive proof that the mosquito-borne virus indeed causes the birth defect. More tests and studies still have to be carried out to come up with a conclusive result.

CDC's main priority right now is to protect pregnant women, because once they are infected with the virus, the disease can be transmitted to the baby they are carrying.

CDC, a Department of Health and Human Services arm, has warned pregnant women to avoid travelling to places where the virus is reportedly spreading quickly—countries in South America, Central America, and Carribean.

"Zika is new, and new diseases can be scary, particularly when they can affect the most vulnerable among us," said Frieden.

The Wall Street Journal also reported, Wednesday, that a study in the New England Journal of Medicine has also discovered new evidence that connects Zika virus to microcephaly.

In a study conducted by the researchers from Ljubljana, Slovenia, the virus was discovered in the brain tissue of a fetus with microcephaly. The 25-year-old European mother in Brazil, who carried the fetus, started having symptoms in the 13th week of her pregnancy. During the said week, the carrier had a higher fever, pain, and a rash when she was volunteering in Natal, Brazil.

Last week, the World Health Organization has announced that the Zika virus is a global public- health emergency. They are continuously conducting researches to identify suspected links.

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