Prenatal Zika infection in mothers found to have long-term immune consequences in children, even without microcephaly

A Cleveland Clinic-led study published in eBioMedicine reveals that maternal Zika virus infections can reprogram fetal immune development, leading to long-term consequences for children’s immunity. These changes even occur in children born without the physical characteristics associated with congenital Zika syndrome—suggesting that the 95% of babies born of Zika-infected pregnancies who did not exhibit symptoms may have been affected by the virus with long-term immunological repercussions.