Colombian president disputes link between Zika and microcephaly

February 10, 2016

Reacting against suggestions that the Zika virus is responsible for severe fetal defects, Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos has reported that his government has studied over 3,000 cases of pregnant women with the Zika virus, without discovering a single case of microcephaly.

A finding by Brazilian doctors, who saw a possible connection between Zika and microcephaly, has prompted urgent calls for an end to legal restrictions on abortion, and suggestions that women in Latin America should avoid pregnancy until the Zika epidemic is under control. 

 

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Further information:

• Colombia: 3,177 pregnant women with Zika; no microcephaly (AP)