Lancet Infectious Diseases published a study finding fetuses exposed to Zika are 50 times more likely to be born with microcephaly, according to STAT.
In the study, researchers analyzed 32 infants born with microcephaly between January and May in hospitals in Recife, Brazil. They then compared these infants to 62 other infants with normal-sized heads who were born during the same number of gestation weeks and whose mothers lived in the same region in Brazil.
Here are five things to know:
1. The study was the first case-control study analyzing the link between Zika and microcephaly.
2. Researchers say the study finding was an interim result and they are still conducting research.
3. In the study, 41 percent of the babies born with microcephaly were infected with Zika. None of the other infants tested positive for Zika virus.
4. Of the infants born with microcephaly, 80 percent of their mothers tested positive for Zika, compared to 64 percent of mothers of the control infants.
5. The researchers noted, "The association is so strong and you have such a high frequency of infection even among mothers in the control group."
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