New details are emerging about the infants born with microcephaly. According to a very small study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, a third of the study subjects, all of whom had microcephaly, were also born with eye damage, including lesions or scars in the retina and optic nerve. It’s unknown if the eye damage is unique to microcephaly or if it occurs in the general population. Â
3. Brazil confirms deaths linked to Zika virus
Three people with Zika virus infections died in Brazil last year, confirmed the country’s health ministry, but Reuters reports it’s unclear if the disease was the sole cause of death. One was a 20-year-old woman who died of respiratory problems that were likely linked to the virus, said Brazil’s health minister.
The virus is typically mild for most people who get it. The 20 percent of infected people who do experience symptoms only have fever, mild rash, red eyes and joint pain for up to a week. The virus is not considered lethal.Â
4. How Zika virus may threaten Africa
Zika virus was discovered in Uganda in 1947, but it hasn’t erupted in an epidemic with possible birth defects in African countries the way that it has in Latin America. But now, in 2016, experts are worried that the virus may return to the African mainland in mutated form, potentially triggering a new wave of infections among a population that had previously been immune to the disease, reports Reuters.Â
Right now, the island nation of Cape Verde is the only country in Africa with ongoing Zika virus transmission. But frequent flights connecting these islands to cities on the African mainland has health officials worried that the virus will soon migrate, notes Reuters. Africa has more than 20 different kinds of mosquitos that can carry Zika virus, although its unclear whether they can transmit the disease to people with the same ease as the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.Â
5. The pope should weigh in on Zika virus, condom use and abortion, says advocacy group
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization both advise people who were potentially exposed to Zika virus to use condoms to protect against sexual transmission — especially if their partner is pregnant. That may be a problem for Zika virus-affected Latin America, home to about 40 percent of the world’s Roman Catholics.Â
The religion expressly forbids the use of any contraception during sex, except to reduce the risk of AIDS — an amendment former Pope Benedict wrote about in 2010. Now, the advocacy group Catholics for Choice is asking current Pope Francis to make it clear that reducing risk of Zika virus should also be another exception to the condom rule, reports Reuters. The pope is set to travel to Cuba and Mexico Friday, and for Catholics for Choice, the trip is an opportunity for him to show he truly stands “in solidarity with the poor†about Zika virus, both about the use of condoms and a woman’s decision to have an abortion.
Still have questions? Zika experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also hosting a Twitter chat on Friday, February 12, at 11 a.m. EST, to answer your Zika questions. Use the hastag #CDCchat.
Read more Zika virus coverage:Â
New Zika Guidelines Will Change How Lots Of American Have Sex
Don’t Know Anything About Zika Virus? Start Here.
Here’s Why We Don’t Have A Vaccine For Zika VirusÂ
Zika Virus Is At Least 50 Years Old. Here’s Why You’re Only Hearing About It Now.
A Zika Outbreak In The U.S. Is ‘Likely,’ CDC Says
An Illustrated Guide To The Zika OutbreakÂ
Should You Get Tested For Zika Virus? A Flowchart
The Zika Virus Could Force Women To Have Unsafe Abortions
The Zika Virus Could Take A Huge Toll In The Americas
Hawaii Baby Contracts The First Case Of Zika Virus In The U.S.
Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Travel To Countries With Zika Virus, CDC SaysÂ
4 Things To Know About Zika’s Potential Spread To The U.S.
Also on HuffPost: