Brazil’s baby defects outbreak could be caused by new vaccine, activists say

Health activists are suspecting the sudden outbreak of cases of microcephaly, a birth defect that causes abnormally small heads in newborns, isn’t caused by the Zika virus, but by the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis) vaccine that pregnant women in Brazil started to be given last 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 start 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 cases had been reported, and the Brazilian government declared a state of emergency .... https://wddty.com