niman Posted April 13, 2016 Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 Media AdvisoryFor Immediate ReleaseWednesday, April 13, 2016 Contact: CDC Media Relations(404)-639-3286 CDC Telebriefing: Zika Virus Update WHAT: CDC will host a telebriefing to provide an update on the Zika Virus WHO: CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH Sonja A. Rasmussen, MD, MS; Director of the Division of Public Health Information and Dissemination, and Editor-in-Chief of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)Denise J. Jamieson, MD, MPH, CAPT, USPHS; Co-Lead, Pregnancy and Birth Defects Team, CDC Zika Virus Response TeamMargaret A. Honein, PhD MPH; Chief, Birth Defects Branch, National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Lyle R. Petersen, MD, MPH; Director, Division of Vector Borne Infectious Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infections WHEN: Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at 2:30 P.M. EST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niman Posted April 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 Zika Virus Confirmed as Cause of Rare Microcephaly Birth Defect, CDC SaysBy GILLIAN MOHNEYJULIE BARZILAY Apr 13, 2016, 5:00 PM ET Paulo Whitaker/ReutersWATCH Zika Virus May Cause Paralysis485SHARES EmailThe Zika virus has been confirmed to cause a rare birth defect called microcephaly and other severe problems of the brain, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Health officials across the globe have suspected for months a link between the virus and the birth defect, characterized by an abnormally small head and brain. Officials said today the evidence is overwhelming that exposure to virus in utero causes the birth defect.CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden called the news a "turning point" in a fight against the virus that has continued to spread throughout the Americas.“It is now clear that the virus causes microcephaly,” Frieden said. “We’ve now confirmed what mounting evidence has suggested, affirming our early guidance to pregnant women and their partners to take steps to avoid Zika infection and to health care professionals who are talking to patients every day. We are working to do everything possible to protect the American public.” El Salvador Advises Women to Avoid Pregnancy for 2 Years Due to Zika Virus Outbreak Mosquito-Born Zika Virus Linked to Birth Defects Experts Explain Key to Stopping Zika Virus From Spreading The CDC is launching new studies to see if other birth defects are connected to the mosquito-borne virus, Frieden said, calling the link "unprecedented" and pointing out there has never been a mosquito-borne virus that causes birth defects in humans. An increase of the birth defect was first detected in Brazil last September months after a large outbreak of the Zika virus."We believe microcephaly will be a part of a range of birth defects that may affect women infected at a particular time or at any time during pregnancy," Frieden told reporters.The findings were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine by CDC researchers who did a thorough review of the available scientific evidence linking the Zika virus and the birth defect.Dr. Sonja Rasmussen, lead author and director for the Study Division of Public Health Information and Dissemination at the CDC, told reporters today that scientists found a consistent pattern of defects in infants exposed to the virus in utero. Additionally, she said the virus had been found in brain tissue from deceased infants with microcephaly.Despite the advances that researchers have made in recent months, Rasmussen said “many questions remain,” including how often birth defects occur in fetuses that are exposed to the virus and if a pregnant woman is more at risk during specific stages of pregnancy."Not all babies born to mothers who are infected with Zika virus during pregnancy will have problems," Rasmussen said. "We need to learn to answer this question -- if a woman is infected during pregnancy, how often will her fetus have birth defects or other problems?"The CDC is also investigating if the virus is linked to an increased likelihood of developingGuillain-Barre syndrome, an immunological reaction that can result in temporarily paralysis in adults.The CDC is not currently changing its recommendations regarding pregnant women or women who may become pregnant. Currently, the CDC advises pregnant women to avoid areas where Zika virus is being transmitted from mosquitoes to people. The agency is also advising men who travel to an area with active Zika transmission and who have a pregnant partner to abstain from sexual activity or use barrier contraception for the duration of the pregnancy.Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical School, said the study is a culmination of months of work and shows the threat to public health."It brings together the various lines of evidence that in the end provide a very convincing conclusion that the outbreak of microcephaly that we’re seeing Brazil ... is indeed associated with Zika virus, causally," Schaffner said.http://abcnews.go.com/Health/zika-virus-confirmed-rare-microcephaly-birth-defect-cdc/story?id=38370364 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niman Posted April 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 U.S. health officials declare Zika cause of severe birth defectsSource: Reuters - Wed, 13 Apr 2016 21:40 GMTAuthor: Reuters (Repeats with no change to text or headline)April 13 (Reuters) - U.S. health officials have concluded that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies."It is now clear, the CDC has concluded, that Zika virus does cause microcephaly," Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. "There isn't any doubt that Zika causes microcephaly."U.S. and world health officials have been saying for some time that mounting scientific evidence points to the mosquito-born virus as the likely cause of the alarming rise in microcephaly in Zika-hit areas of Brazil. It had not been declared as the definitive cause until now.Never before in history has a bite from a mosquito been seen as the cause of birth defects, Frieden said. (Reporting by Bill Berkrot; Editing by Bernard Orr)http://news.trust.org/item/20160413210451-clmgz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niman Posted April 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 US health experts confirm that Zika causes birth defects6 minutes ago From the sectionUS & CanadaImage copyrightReutersImage captionBrazil has seen a growing number of cases of microcephaly in recent monthsThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that the Zika virus causes severe birth defects, including microcephaly.Thousands of babies were born in Brazil last year with microcephaly, a syndrome where children are born with unusually small heads.The defects coincided with a spike in Zika infections, leading experts to suspect the mosquito-borne virus.Growing research has now affirmed those experts' suspicions, the CDC said."This study marks a turning point in the Zika outbreak. It is now clear that the virus causes microcephaly," said Dr Tom Frieden, the head of the CDC.More on the Zika crisis:Microcephaly: Why it is not the end of the worldWhat you need to know Key questions answered about the virus and its spreadTravel advice Countries affected and what you should doThe mosquito behind spread of virus What we know about the insectAbortion dilemma Laws and practices in Catholic Latin AmericaOn Monday, US health officials warned the Zika outbreak could have more of an effect on the US and called for additional funding to combat the virus."Everything we know about this virus seems to be scarier than we initially thought," said Dr Anne Schuchat of the CDC.There have been 346 confirmed cases of Zika in the continental United States, according to the CDC, all associated with travel.CDC officials said the findings do not change the agency's earlier guidance to pregnant women.Image copyrightAFPImage captionThe Zika virus can be transmitted via mosquitoThe CDC has discouraged pregnant women from travelling to places where the Zika virus is spreading, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean.Dr Frieden said intensive research was under way to find out much more about the mosquito-borne virus and to develop a vaccine for it, although he warned that that could still be years away.This is the first time that mosquito bites have caused birth defects, Dr Frieden said. The virus can be transmitted by sexual contact as well.http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36040881 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niman Posted April 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2016 CDC Concludes Zika Causes Microcephaly, Other Birth Defects"This study marks a turning point in the Zika outbreak," the CDC's director says U.S. health officials say there's no longer any doubt that the Zika virus causes severe birth defects.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists say in a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine that the virus, which is spreading through much of the Americas, causes microcephaly and other fetal brain defects.Middle School Coach Allegedly Fired for Handing Out FruitEvidence had long pointed to a link between microcephaly, a condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads, and the mosquito-borne virus. The CDC had not previously said if babies' microcephaly was a result of their mothers being infected with Zika during pregnancy."This study marks a turning point in the Zika outbreak," CDC Director Tom Frieden said in a statement. "It is now clear that the virus causes microcephaly. We are also launching further studies to determine whether children who have microcephaly born to mothers infected by the Zika virus is the tip of the iceberg of what we could see in damaging effects on the brain and other developmental problems."Zika Virus Spreads Across the Americas, May Cause Birth Defects CDC officials said their advice to pregnant women won't change. Pregnant women should avoid traveling to places where the Zika virus is spreading, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean.Refresh this page for more on this breaking story.http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/CDC-Concludes-Zika-Causes-Microcephaly-Other-Birth-Defects-375603241.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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