U.S. health officials describe Zika as scarier than previously thought

Inside the Zika crisis with Frontline’s reporting

You’ve heard a lot about Zika over the past few months, including the CDC’s confirmation yesterday that the virus causes a devastating birth defect called microcephaly.

But if you haven’t been following FRONTLINE’s coverage, you’ve been missing out.

Digital reporter Katie Worth spent weeks on the ground in Brazil documenting the crisis firsthand, filing story after story from the front lines of the Zika outbreak.

“I wanted to meet doctors, patients, and everyday citizens to learn how the virus has affected them,” says Katie, FRONTLINE’s inaugural Columbia/Tow Journalism Fellow. “I especially wanted to explore how Zika impacts people who live in poverty.”

That’s exactly what she’s done — reporting on the Zika-microcephaly link, how Zika fears have changed pregnant women’s celebration of Carnival, and how the Zika outbreak has overwhelmed Brazil’s already-overloaded health care system.

Now, as U.S. health officials describe Zika as scarier than previously thought, Katie has filed a sobering new piece on just how serious the neurological damage to babies with Zika-linked cases of microcephaly may be.

“Zika’s damage is likely worst when it hits a fetus in the first trimester of pregnancy, the crucial time in brain development,” she writes. “By the time the baby’s immune system begins to combat the virus, much of the damage has been done.”

Learn just what that damage entails in Katie’s latest, here. She’s now returned from Brazil, but she’ll continue to cover this story with depth and insight. Keep an eye out for her reporting as the Zika outbreak continues to unfold.