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Honduras Reports 8 Babies With Defects From Zika

Country’s first babies to suffer from microcephaly.

Eight babies have been born in Honduras with severe birth defects thought to be from the Zika virus, Honduras’ health minister reported Tuesday. Five of the babies, born with microcephaly, were born this week. As of July 14, Honduras had not reported any cases of microcephaly caused by the Zika virus, meaning the eight babies affected are among the first in the country to suffer such serious birth defects. Microcephaly, perhaps the most feared result of the Zika virus, causes underdeveloped brains and abnormally small heads in babies. According to Dr. Yolani Batres, the health minister, the Central American country has documented 493 cases of pregnant women infected with the Zika virus.