HEALTH
ZIKA VIRUS OUTBREAK
SEP 26 2016, 11:25 AM ET
Zika Virus Damage Can Mislead Parents, Experts Say
by MAGGIE FOX
The 2-month-old baby looks exceptional. She's crawling forward at an age when most infants cannot even roll over. Another tiny infant sits straight up when her foot is tickled.
Sometimes the parents are pleased, and see these behaviors as a sign that Zika may not have damaged their babies as badly as they feared.
But in fact, these reflexes are a sign of the profound mess the virus has made in their developing brains, said Dr. Vanessa Van der Linden, the pediatric neurologist in Recife, Brazil, who sounded the first public alert about Zika.
more...
ZIKA VIRUS OUTBREAK
SEP 26 2016, 11:25 AM ET
Zika Virus Damage Can Mislead Parents, Experts Say
by MAGGIE FOX
The 2-month-old baby looks exceptional. She's crawling forward at an age when most infants cannot even roll over. Another tiny infant sits straight up when her foot is tickled.
Sometimes the parents are pleased, and see these behaviors as a sign that Zika may not have damaged their babies as badly as they feared.
But in fact, these reflexes are a sign of the profound mess the virus has made in their developing brains, said Dr. Vanessa Van der Linden, the pediatric neurologist in Recife, Brazil, who sounded the first public alert about Zika.
more...