Zika virus can make thousands of copies of itself in fetuses’ brains and in the placentas of pregnant women, which may help explain how the virus causes devastating birth defects and pregnancy losses even if a woman had only a minor illness (Emerg Infect Dis [Epub Dec 13, 2016]. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2303.161499).
A new CDC study is the first to show Zika virus RNA replicating in brain tissues from infants with microcephaly who later died and in the placentas of