Brazilian Babies Born with Abnormally Small Heads

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Bibliography

- http://www.cdc.gov/zika/pregnancy/question-answers.html

-https://newsela.com/articles/zika-virus/id/14046/

-http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/zika-what-is-the-virus-linked-to-babies-being-born-with-smaller-heads-a6819931.html

-http://www.statnews.com/2016/01/14/everything-need-know-zika-virus/

Side Effects

If anyone gets zika they can develop rashes, joint pain, red eyes and fever. Only one in 5 people who are infected with zika actually get sick. If they do get sick, it is usually a very mild sickness. Most people don't even realize that they have been infected. Symptoms typically start 2-7 days after you get infected. For the infected baby, they are born with a smaller head, That affects their brain development. Usually the baby with microcephaly is not as smart or as capable of things as people with normal heads/brains.

How

Zika is spread by Andes mosquito's that have been infected with the disease and they can infect anyone. Zika is not the only cause of microcephaly though. A baby can also get microcephaly from it's mom being exposed to harmful substances like alcohol, drugs, and certain toxic chemicals during pregnancy. A baby can also get microcephaly if the mom is malnourished during pregnancy, or if there is decreased oxygen to the developing baby's brain.

Babies Born with Abnormally Small Heads

What are scientists doing with zika?

Scientists are trying to find at exactly which stage of pregnancy the baby is infected with the disease. Scientist are also worried that zika might in the future lead to possible paralysis in the infected person. They cannot pinpoint exactly where the disease is most likely centered.

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Where

By: Ella Stephens

Until 2007 there were only random cases of the disease. There were also small outbreaks in Africa and Southeast Asia since being discovered in Uganda in 1947. Now there are over 3,000 cases in Brazil and it has spread to Mexico, Columbia, Puerto Rico and other Central and South American countries. It has even spread a little to the U.S.A. On January 17th there was a baby born in Hawaii that is believed to be the first case of zika/microcephaly in the United States.

What

Thousands of babies are being born with small heads. Not a big deal? Think again. There is a disease called zika that is spread by mosquitos. It causes a disease called microcephaly. Microcephaly is when a baby is born with an abnormally small head. There are almost 3,000 cases of the incurable condition in Brazil.