U.S., Brazilian Teams Work To Research Microcephaly, Zika Link; Brazil Confirms More Cases Of Birth Defect

Associated Press: Logistics cause delays on first day of Brazil Zika study
“U.S. and Brazilian health workers seeking to determine if the Zika virus is causing a surge in birth defects ran into the chaotic reality of northeastern Brazil on their study’s first day Tuesday. Traffic and logistical problems shredded their schedule, delaying or preventing meetings with mothers and babies…” (Barchfield, 2/23).

Reuters: Proving Zika guilty: A long and painstaking task
“Evidence is building for the theory that Zika can cause newborn brain defects and the World Health Organization is promising more answers in weeks, but nailing a definitive link will be neither simple nor swift…” (Kelland, 2/24).

Reuters: Brazil health service cracking under strain of microcephaly
“…[25-year-old Miriam Araujo’s] family’s plight [of traveling long distances for health care] shows how unprepared Brazil’s creaking public health service was for Zika when the mosquito-borne virus struck last year…” (Eisenhammer et al., 2/23).

Wall Street Journal: Brazil Confirms 75 More Microcephaly Births Amid Zika Outbreak
“As the head of the World Health Organization met Tuesday with Brazilian government officials to discuss ways of combating the mosquito-borne Zika virus, the country’s health ministry released new figures confirming 75 additional cases of infants born with microcephaly…” (Johnson et al., 2/23).

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