Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'It's Heartbreaking': As Zika Babies Age, Devastating Health Effects Become More Clear
As the first babies born with brain damage from the Zika epidemic become 2-year-olds, the most severely affected are falling further behind in their development and will require a lifetime of care, according to a study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study, the first to comprehensively assess some of the oldest Zika babies in Brazil, focused on 15 of the most disabled children born with abnormally small heads, a condition called microcephaly. (Belluck, 12/14)
A new report paints a bleak picture, one that suggests Brazilian children who were born with severe microcephaly and whose blood showed signs of prior Zika infection are at increased risk of cerebral palsy, seizures, vision problems, and many other conditions. Those findings — published Thursday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a journal published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — come from a small study of the health status of 19 babies born with Zika-related microcephaly. (Branswell, 12/14)
The investigation focused on Brazil, where thousands of children born during 2015 and 2016 were affected by the virus. It studied the health and development of 19 children with microcephaly and evidence of congenital Zika virus through clinical assessments, medical record reviews and caregiver interviews. (Rios, 12/14)
Meanwhile, the recent hurricanes are sparking conversations about the importance of mosquito control —
When the Oxitec mosquitoes interbreed with wild ones, the genetic engineering causes birth defects in the offspring, killing off successive generations. Oxitec’s mosquitoes were approved in October by the Food and Drug Administration as a pesticide, but they cannot be released without approval from state authorities and the Environmental Protection Agency. (Tourial, 12/18)
