California Reports 2 Births with Zika-Related Microcephaly

Very close to home now.

Health officials say two infants with Zika-related birth defects have been born in California.

The California Department of Public Heath reports the two infants were born with microcephaly, a disease that causes an abnormally smaller head in an infant and can lead to intellectual disability.

It is unclear where the babies were born.

Health officials say the women had traveled to areas where Zika virus infections were prevalent and were infected.

Given that it is still unclear as to all the ways that this can be transmitted, it’s odd that they won’t reveal where the babies were born.

While the California infections seem to have been imported, the outbreak in Florida is homegrown, so the attitude that it’s only a concern for travelers no longer applies.

On the Olympics front, Zika remains both a health risk to be taken seriously and a punch line as we get closer to the Rio games.