Zika pesticide linked to motor function deficits in babies, study finds

The pesticide Naled — which played a key role in the elimination of local Zika transmission in the Miami neighborhood of Wynwood — has been linked to deficits in motor functions among Chinese babies in a new study published in the journal Environment International.

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For the study, researchers examined umbilical cord blood from 237 mothers who gave birth to healthy babies at a hospital in China. At nine months old, infants who tested positive for neonatal Naled exposure scored 3 percent to 4 percent lower on tests designed to assess fine motor skills.  

“Naled is being aerially sprayed to combat mosquitoes carrying Zika virus, yet this is the first nonoccupational human study of its health effects,” wrote the study’s authors. “Delays in early-motor skill acquisition may be detrimental for downstream development and cognition.”

More articles on the Zika virus:  
One-dose Zika vaccine may prevent sexual transmission of the virus 
CDC: 5% of pregnant women in US territories with Zika had baby or fetus with birth defects 
Puerto Rico says Zika outbreak has ended, CDC maintains travel warning: 3 notes

 

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