https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/lifelong-care-heartaches-ahead-for-babies-born-with-zika-in-the-us/2016/07/24/2cc5e360-42d6-11e6-bc99-7d269f8719b1_story.html?_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8_FD6OapIr1zusyoCbsFR1PwFj46EaStEG_qRIJL0LWQAqa_35CaQG1VK7TksR99WOighT7tpib_sX6-avQP-arqFwYA&_hsmi=32041953&utm_campaign=CHL%3A%20Daily%20Edition&utm_content=32041953&utm_medium=email&utm_source=hs_email

At least 12 babies in the United States have already been born with the heartbreaking brain damage caused by the Zika virus. And with that number expected to multiply, public health and pediatric specialists are scrambling as they have rarely done to prepare for the lifelong implications of each case.

Many of Zika’s littlest victims, diagnosed with microcephaly and other serious birth defects that might not immediately be apparent, could require care estimated at more than $10 million through adulthood. Officials who have been concentrating on measures to control and prevent transmission of the virus are now confronting a new challenge, seeking to provide guidance for doctors and others who work with young children with developmental problems.

The White House and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are holding regular talks with experts and nonprofits about the array of services the infants and their families will need well into the future. Advocacy groups are seeking to raise awareness among parents and day-care providers, and some high-risk states are streamlining existing programs so that they can rapidly connect Zika babies with physical, occupational and other therapies.