BREAKING NEWS

WHO experts say Zika may cause birth defects in thousands of babies

NEW YORK- World Health Organization officials on Friday cautioned that "many thousands" of infants infected with Zika virus could suffer neurological abnormalities and said nations dealing with an outbreak need to watch for problems beyond the widely reported cases of microcephaly.
These include spasticity, seizures, irritability, feeding difficulties, eyesight problems and evidence of severe brain abnormalities.
Health officials had previously concluded that Zika infection in pregnant women was a cause of microcephaly in babies, a rare birth defect characterized by unusually small heads and potentially severe developmental problems. They now believe the range of potential neurological problems in infants could be much wider.