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Are you starting to think the Zika epidemic is the most confusing outbreak ever? Join the club. Since Zika surfaced on the global radar about a year ago, scientists have been trying to figure out if what seemed like a pretty paltry virus could cause serious birth defects if it infected a fetus in the womb and, if so, how often? There is really no doubt now that the answer to the first question is yes. Over the course of 2016 a lot of science has been published showing that the Zika virus wreaks havoc on a developing brain if it gets into a fetus. (Branswell, 12/16)

Michelle Flandez had just given birth to her first son, but doctors in this U.S. territory whisked him away before she could see him. Perplexed, she demanded him back and then slowly unwrapped the blanket that covered him. "My husband and I looked at each other," she recalled. "No one had warned us. No one had given us the opportunity to decide what to do." (12/19)