"The Zika virus damages many fetuses carried by infected and symptomatic mothers, regardless of when in pregnancy the infection occurs, according to a small but frightening study released on Friday by Brazilian and American researchers.

In a separate report published on Friday, other scientists suggested a mechanism for the damage, showing in laboratory experiments that the virus targets and destroys fetal cells that eventually form the brain’s cortex.

The reports are far from conclusive, but the studies help shed light on a mysterious epidemic that has swept across more than two dozen countries in the Western Hemisphere, alarming citizens and unnerving public health officials."

Donald G. McNeil Jr. and Catherine Saint Louis report for the New York Times March 4, 2016. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Zika-Carrying Mosquitoes Developing Resistance to Top Insecticide" (Stat) [3]

"How Best To Test For Zika Virus?" (NPR) [4]

"Leading U.S. Doctors Urge Funding for Zika Fight" (NBC News) [5]