It's Official: Zika Causes Birth Defects

What has long been suspected was finally confirmed by the CDC on Wednesday: The Zika virus causes birth defects, Time reports. According to the BBC, hundreds of babies in Brazil have been born with microcephaly since the Zika outbreak started, but so far the link between the two hadn't been confirmed scientifically. That changed Wednesday. "There's no longer any doubt," Time quotes CDC director Dr. Tome Frieden as saying. He calls the effects of Zika "unprecedented." "Never before in history has there been a situation where a bite from a mosquito could result in a devastating malformation,” he says. The CDC is continuing to warn pregnant women against traveling to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where Zika is prevalent. (More Zika virus stories.)