Health activists are suspecting the sudden outbreak of cases of microcephaly, a birth defect that causes abnormally small heads in newborns, isn caused by the Zika virus, but by the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis) vaccine that pregnant women in Brazil started to be given year.
The Zika virus has been around for at least 70 years, and hasn’t caused any long-term ill effects—and yet the outbreak of microcephaly cases in Brazil coincides with the s of the new vaccination programme, designed to slow the progress of pertussis, or whooping cough.
Pregnant women started to be given the vaccine at the beginning of 2015, and cases of microcephaly have been reported since last October—10 months later. By December, 2,400 ca had been reported, and the Brazilian government declared a state of emergency.
The virus, which is spread by mosquitoes, has been linked to microcephaly because it was found in a baby who had died after contracting the condition. The virus was also found in amniotic fluid of two mothers whose babies were born with microcephaly.
But activists argue the virus can’t have suddenly started to cause microcephaly when it hasn’t done so for 70 years. In addition to the time coincidence, they say the version of the Tda vaccine introduced to Brazil was never properly tested, and contains chemicals and preservatives that can affect neurological development.
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