U.S. CDC finds "strongest evidence" of link between Zika, microcephaly

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Wednesday it has found the "strongest evidence to date" that linked the Zika virus to the birth defect known as microcephaly.

The finding was based on two Brazilian infants who had microcephaly and died in the first 24 hours of life, Tom Frieden, director of the CDC told a House panel hearing.

"Working with our Brazilian colleagues, the CDC laboratory was able to identify genetic material of the Zika virus in the brain tissue of the two infants who died of microcephaly," Frieden said.

"This is the strongest evidence to date that Zika is the cause of microcephaly but it's still not definitive," he said. "We still need to understand the clinical and epidemiological patterns to make that link definitive."

In October 2015, Brazilian authorities reported a concerning increase in microcephaly, which has occurred in close sequence to Brazil's outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Babies with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads, can have a range of problems, including seizures, developmental delay, feeding problems and hearing loss. In some cases, these problems can be life threatening.

The symptoms of Zika are similar to dengue, another mosquito-borne infection, which are often co-circulating in areas where Zika virus is present.

The majority of people infected with Zika virus have no symptoms. For those with symptoms, Zika virus tends to cause a mild, short-lived febrile disease. Endit