--- title: Zika Virus Linked to a Spike in Birth Defects In the U.S. description: A new CDC report shows an increase in birth defects in places where the Zika virus spread in 2016. canonical: https://time.com/5119151/zika-birth-defects-cdc/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-25T21:18:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:41.201Z article:section: Health og:title: Zika Linked to a Spike in Birth Defects In the U.S. og:description: “Babies with Zika-related birth defects need all the help they can get" og:url: https://time.com/5119151/zika-birth-defects-cdc/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte964774b3f5822ff/6988f97e86f68e0c286e809d/zika-post.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4504 og:image:height: 2534 og:image:alt: Feeding mosquito og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Zika Linked to a Spike in Birth Defects In the U.S. twitter:description: “Babies with Zika-related birth defects need all the help they can get" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte964774b3f5822ff/6988f97e86f68e0c286e809d/zika-post.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Zika Linked to a Spike in Birth Defects in the U.S. > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=16dbec21-e64d-419b-8348-289d84e893a3&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: There's a New Way to Wipe Out Mosquitoes in the U.S. [Watch (HLS stream): There's a New Way to Wipe Out Mosquitoes in the U.S.](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GIT3AIaA.m3u8) (2:19)  _Published 2017-11-17. Mosquitoes are some of the deadliest creatures in the world, carrying diseases like Zika, dengue and chikungunya_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jan 25, 2018 9:18 PM UTC  Feeding mosquito. Macrophotograph of an Aedes aegypti mosquito feeding on a human. The female mosquito feeds on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, piercing the skin and sucking the blood through her proboscis (seen here between her front legs). She uses the blood meal for the production of her eggs. A. aegypti is found throughout tropical Africa and in parts of South America. It is a vector for the virus that causes yellow fever in humans. Magnification unknown. Feeding mosquito. Macrophotograph of an Aedes aegypti mosquito feeding on a human. The female mosquito feeds on the blood of vertebrates, including humans, piercing the skin and sucking the blood through her proboscis (seen here between her front legs). She uses the blood meal for the production of her eggs. A. aegypti is found throughout tropical Africa and in parts of South America. It is a vector for the virus that causes yellow fever in humans. Magnification unknown. Getty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Jan 25, 2018 9:18 PM UTC Areas in the United States where [Zika](http://time.com/4908546/zika-pregnant-women-immune-system/) spread locally, like Florida and Texas, experienced a spike in birth defects. According to a new [report](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6703a2.htm?s%5Fcid=mm6703a2%5Fw) from the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https://www.cdc.gov/) (CDC), areas in South Florida, parts of Texas and Puerto Rico saw a 21% increase in birth defects strongly linked with Zika in the last half of 2016, compared to the first part of the year. CDC experts looked at surveillance data for about 1 million births in 15 U.S. states and territories. They reported that about three out of every 1,000 births that took place in those states in 2016 involved a birth defect that was potentially linked to Zika. About half of those infants were born with microcephaly or brain abnormalities, 20% were born with neural tube defects or other early brain issues, 22% had nervous system damage and 9% had eye problems. **MORE:** [Do I Still Need to Worry About Zika?](http://time.com/4830117/zika-virus-prevention-pregnancy/) Overall, the researchers identified 2,962 infants and fetuses with birth defects potentially related to infetion by the Zika virus. The CDC says it’s unclear whether the birth defects are solely due to Zika or if there are other contributing factors. Though the defects were thought to be Zika-related, most of the mothers did not have laboratory evidence of the virus and most were not tested. There could be another increase in 2017 data, the CDC says, since women exposed to Zika while pregnant in late 2016 would have given birth in 2017. “Babies with Zika-related birth defects need all the help they can get, as soon as possible and for as long as they need it,” said CDC Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald in a [statement](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p0125-birth-defects-local-zika.html) about the findings. “This report highlights the critical importance of documenting birth defects possibly related to Zika and our need to maintain vigilance.” ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] that's incompatible with the Wolbachia carried by their wild mosquito counterparts. When the ZAP male mosquitoes are released into the environment, the mosquitoes mate with wild females. 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