--- title: Zika Virus Linked to Paralysis Disorder in U.S., CDC Says description: There are two cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome linked to Zika in the U.S., the CDC says canonical: https://time.com/4229778/cdc-zika-virus-guillain-barre-syndrome/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-18T21:59:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:41:14.234Z article:section: Health og:title: Zika Virus Linked to Paralysis Disorder in U.S., CDC Says og:description: There are two cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome linked to Zika in the U.S., the CDC says og:url: https://time.com/4229778/cdc-zika-virus-guillain-barre-syndrome/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b7efe0b8b2eebd4/69887e448e06012b89464aca/zika6.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Lab Testing & Fumigation Operations As Guatemala Fights Spread Of Zika Virus og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Zika Virus Linked to Paralysis Disorder in U.S., CDC Says twitter:description: There are two cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome linked to Zika in the U.S., the CDC says twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b7efe0b8b2eebd4/69887e448e06012b89464aca/zika6.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Zika Virus Linked to Paralysis Disorder in U.S., CDC Says > 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=a4c6288c-e08b-4dcc-8057-ef0c01cd62da&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: CDC Confirms Link Between Zika Virus And Birth Defects [Watch (HLS stream): CDC Confirms Link Between Zika Virus And Birth Defects](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nYBEKNnO.m3u8) (1:03)  _Published 2016-01-18. Zika can infect embryonic cells that help form the brain, a lab study found_ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Feb 18, 2016 9:59 PM UTC by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Feb 18, 2016 9:59 PM UTC Two confirmed cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome linked to the Zika virus have been reported in the U.S., health authorities told TIME on Thursday. The link between [Zika](http://time.com/4219582/zika-virus-how-spreads-mosquitoes/) and the birth defect microcephaly has received much attention. But health experts are also concerned about the link between the virus and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a condition where the immune system starts attacking the body’s nerves, which leads to weakness that can eventually result in temporary paralysis. In some cases, the disorder can interfere with breathing. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed to TIME that there have been two cases of GBS in the U.S. in people who also tested positive for Zika virus. “I think we can say that the link between Zika and Guillain-Barre looks strong and would not be at all surprising,” says Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. “We’ve seen similar postinfection complications after many different infections, including some that are quite similar to Zika. That is a link that’s getting stronger.” One reported GBS case has been linked to Zika in Puerto Rico, which the CDC described [in a recent report](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/wr/mm6506e2.htm). In that case, a 37-year-old man developed a rash that was followed by symptoms of weakness. It was confirmed he had GBS and tested positive for the Zika virus. The CDC has not released details about the two people with GBS linked to Zika in the continental U.S. Like microcephaly, the link between GBS and Zika appears strong, but is it not yet confirmed. More research is needed to understand the link. So far, there are 84 travel-associated cases of Zika in the U.S., and Puerto Rico has reported more than two dozen locally transmitted cases. “We really do expect that there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of travel-associated cases in the U.S.,” says Frieden. “There are more than 40 million travelers in the U.S. to Zika affected countries every year — that’s a lot of people.” The CDC says it is aware of pregnant U.S. women who became infected with Zika while traveling. [As TIME previously reported](http://time.com/4209612/zika-guillain-barre-syndrome-cdc/), the CDC recently completed the initial stages of a study looking at the possible connection between GBS and Zika in Brazil. The investigation was launched after the Brazil Ministry of Health reported higher than normal cases of GBS amid the Zika outbreak. The researchers at the CDC knew to be on the lookout for possible cases of GBS, since a similar pattern was observed during a 2013 Zika outbreak in the South Pacific. Although the findings from the study are still very preliminary, the lead researcher told TIME that while it’s normally rare to see the disease in young people, the CDC researchers in Brazil found a high number of cases among people in their 20s, 30s and 40s who were otherwise healthy. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4229778/cdc-zika-virus-guillain-barre-syndrome/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4229778/cdc-zika-virus-guillain-barre-syndrome/"},"headline":"Zika Virus Linked to Paralysis Disorder in U.S., CDC Says","datePublished":"2016-02-18T21:59:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:41:14.234Z","description":"There are two cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome linked to Zika in the U.S., the CDC says","url":"https://time.com/4229778/cdc-zika-virus-guillain-barre-syndrome/","keywords":["Zika","United States","Zika virus"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b7efe0b8b2eebd4/69887e448e06012b89464aca/zika6.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b7efe0b8b2eebd4/69887e448e06012b89464aca/zika6.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Lab Testing & Fumigation Operations As Guatemala Fights Spread Of Zika Virus","caption":"Lab Testing & Fumigation Operations As Guatemala Fights Spread Of Zika Virus","creditText":"Saul Martinez—Bloomberg/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/zika/","name":"Zika"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4229778/cdc-zika-virus-guillain-barre-syndrome/","name":"Zika Virus Linked to Paralysis Disorder in U.S., CDC Says"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"CDC Confirms Link Between Zika Virus And Birth Defects","description":"Zika can infect embryonic cells that help form the brain, a lab study found","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/nYBEKNnO/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-01-18T15:12:06.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nYBEKNnO.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4229778/cdc-zika-virus-guillain-barre-syndrome/","duration":"PT1M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4229778/cdc-zika-virus-guillain-barre-syndrome/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```