Birth defects are tied to mosquito

Researchers have found the strongest evidence so far of a possible link between a mosquito-borne virus and a surge of birth defects in Brazil, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

The health agency said evidence of the dengue-like Zika virus was found in the placentas from two women who miscarried and the brains of two newborns who died. Those who were born had small heads, a rare condition known as microcephaly.

"The evidence is becoming very, very strong of the link between the two," said Dr Lyle Petersen, director of mosquito-borne diseases at the CDC.