CDC Finds Strong Link Between Zika and Guillain-Barre

An outbreak of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Vancouver, WA—in which four times the number of cases reported in a typical year have been reported—appears to be related to an outbreak of Zika virus in the area, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC notes that Brazil, in which the mosquito that carries Zika is found in great numbers, also saw an increase in cases of Guillain-Barre following a spike in Zika infections. The agency has already warned U.S. patients that Zika has been linked to certain neurological birth defects in children whose mothers carry the virus. While it was first believed that domestic cases of Zika could all be tracked back to individuals who traveled to parts of the world where the virus is more common, the CDC has since confirmed that it can also be spread through sexual contact.