Brazil
says Zika-linked microcephaly cases fall to 4,759
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[May 12, 2016]
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - The
number of confirmed and suspected cases of microcephaly in Brazil
associated with the Zika virus was down to 4,759 in the week through May
7, the Health Ministry said Wednesday, hundreds less than more than
5,200 suspected in late March.
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As doctors and Brazilian health officials find that some suspected
cases of microcephaly are not the disorder, the total number of
confirmed cases in Brazil stands at 1,326. A further 3,433 cases are
still being investigated.
Brazil considers most of the cases of babies born with abnormally
small heads since the start of a Zika outbreak last year to be
related to the virus.
After heated debate among scientists following the initial scare
over the outbreak, agencies including the World Health Organization
and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have
concluded that the virus can cause microcephaly in infants of
mothers infected with Zika.
Most of the cases in Brazil remain focused in the country's
northeast, where 1,190 cases have been confirmed. Though Zika
infections continue to spread throughout Brazil and beyond, there
has not been a concentrated surge in the number of microcephaly
cases elsewhere.
In Brazil's southeast, which includes the major cities of São Paulo
and Rio de Janeiro, 68 cases have been confirmed.
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(Reporting by Paulo Prada; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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