Doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are worried the Zika virus may be causing epilepsy. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Babies whose mothers had Zika while pregnant are hit hardest by the mosquito-transmitted virus. The infection is primarily associated with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads. But some doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are worried the infection is causing seizures too. There’s enough evidence that the researchers want to screen babies for epilepsy if they were exposed to Zika. There are concerns cases could go undiagnosed because it can be difficult to recognize seizures in young children. The CDC doctors want local officials to work with epilepsy support groups to encourage more screenings.
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