[by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.36]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.72]this is the Health & Lifestyle report. [00:05.92]Health officials in Brazil have declared a state of emergency in several states. [00:12.16]They are also warning women to not get pregnant. [00:17.04]These extreme actions are the result of a recent rise in birth defects. [00:23.88]About 2,400 babies in Brazil were born recently with extremely small heads. [00:32.96]The babies have a condition called microcephaly. [00:37.72]Microcephaly causes severe brain damage. [00:41.96]To date, 29 of these babies have died. [00:46.32]The number of microcephaly cases in Brazil [00:51.08]is about 10 times higher than what the country usually sees in a year. [00:58.56]The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) explains on its website [01:03.00]that there many causes of microcephaly. [01:06.68]And the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement [01:10.44]that the cause of the microcephaly outbreak in Brazil had yet to be determined. [01:16.80]However, the CDC says the link between a virus infection [01:22.36]and microcephaly is being investigated. [01:26.20]The virus is called Zika. [01:30.28]Zika is spread by mosquitos. [01:33.92]Some babies in Brazil with microcephaly [01:36.92]have tested positive for the Zika virus [01:40.12]while others have tested negative. [01:43.64]The CDC says that Brazil reported its first case of Zika virus in May 2015. [01:51.52]Since then, the virus has spread and has caused infections in many Brazilian states [01:58.60]and other countries in Latin America. [02:02.60]According to other news agencies, [02:05.04]health officials have reported many cases of microcephaly in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. [02:12.84]Reuters news agency reports that the Zika virus [02:16.68]has been confirmed this year in Panama, Venezuela, El Salvador, [02:22.12]Mexico, Suriname, Colombia, Guatemala and Paraguay. [02:28.52]Zika is also found in Africa and Southeast Asia. [02:33.80]The CDC has a webpage with information on Zika. [02:38.80]It says that because the "mosquitoes that spread Zika virus are found throughout the world, [02:45.80]it is likely that outbreaks will spread to new countries." [02:50.96]The CDC says the common symptoms of Zika [02:54.68]are fever, rash, headache, joint pain and red eyes. [03:00.72]Zika causes mostly mild symptoms in adults. [03:05.04]However, in newborns the disease can cause severe brain damage. [03:10.48]There is no vaccine or medicine to prevent or treat Zika. [03:14.88]Travelers and especially pregnant women [03:17.91]are advised to protect themselves by avoiding mosquito bites. [03:23.16]Health officials around the world are watching the situation closely. [03:28.00]I'm Anna Matteo. [03:29.48]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM