U.S. health experts confirm that Zika causes severe birth defectsApril 14, 2016 - 10:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that the Zika virus causes severe birth defects, including microcephaly, BBC News reports. Hundreds of babies were born in Brazil last year with microcephaly, a syndrome where children are born with unusually small heads. The defects coincided with a spike in Zika infections, leading experts to suspect the mosquito-borne virus. Research has now affirmed those experts' suspicions, the CDC said. U.S. health officials warned the Zika outbreak could have more of an effect on the United States and called for additional funding to combat the virus. "Everything we know about this virus seems to be scarier than we initially thought," said Dr Anne Schuchat of the CDC. Zika virus was first diagnosed in 1947 in Uganda, but symptoms have typically been mild, including rash, joint pain and fever. The current outbreak started in 2015 in Brazil and the symptoms have been much more severe. Nearly 200 babies have died as result of the virus. There have been 346 confirmed cases of Zika in the continental United States, according to the CDC, all associated with travel. The CDC has discouraged pregnant women from travelling to places where the Zika virus is spreading, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |