Health

Zika-Related Birth Defects Rise In Brazil

ST. CROIX -- As the Zika threat continues to grow -- the CDC on Tuesday issued an alert warning travelers to stay away from the territory -- new reports emanating out of Brazil's health ministry offered reason for continued concern, but also a glimmer of hope. Above, Geovane Silva holds his son, Gustavo Henrique, who has microcephaly, at a hospital in Recife, Brazil on Tuesday. On its own, the virus is not normally life-threatening. The most common symptoms include fever and joint pain, and most people who become infected have no symptoms at all. But according to a New York Times report, Brazil health officials said on Wednesday that reported cases of microcephaly — a rare condition in which infants are born with abnormally small heads — had climbed to 4,180 since October, a 7 percent increase from the previous tally last week. Before the epidemic, Brazil recorded only about 150 cases of microcephaly a year. Now, officials say they have begun investigating the cases reported by ho...