Brazil is the only country to report a spike in microcephaly after Zika arrived last year. The CDC has a vested interest in unraveling the mystery as the outbreak makes its way north. The mosquito-borne virus is circulating in Puerto Rico and is expected to reach several southern U.S. states with warmer weather in the spring.
CDC experts will join staff from the Brazil’s Health Ministry. The team will also try to determine the most common characteristics of microcephaly that might be specifically associated with Zika, and check whether other abnormalities might result from exposure to the virus.
Dr. Staples estimates it will take four to five weeks to get the study fully enrolled, but it may take longer.
“We need to make sure we have the right number of cases and controls to be able to say with a good degree of certainty what is going on,” she said.
Pages: 1 2 | Single Page
Loading ...
No Responses to “CDC, Brazil to Study Zika’s Link to Birth Defects”