From WAMU
November 9, 2017
Two years ago, when the Zika virus was first identified as the cause of microcephaly in babies, women were scared. Expectant mothers who got infected had no idea what the chances were of having a healthy baby. Researchers have since learned that while Zika infection is dangerous, about 94 percent of babies born to women infected with Zika appear to be normal at birth.
Yariel is one of them. He’s a curious little one year old — calm and smiley, with a head full of curls. Looking at him, it’s impossible to know that his mother had Zika when she was pregnant.
Yariel is a patient of Dr. Sarah Mulkey, a fetal neo-natal neurologist at Children’s National Health System in Washington D.C., who is studying babies born to women with Zika to try and find out how OK they really are.