Goats and Soda

editor's note

Dear readers,

We have covered many disease outbreaks since our blog was born in 2014 -- Ebola, Zika, SARS-CoV-2, to name a few. But once an outbreak fades, so does coverage. Yet there are many people whose lives were profoundly affected by contracting a devastating virus.

What happens to these survivors?

That's what reporter Ari Daniel wanted to find out. He traveled to Brazil to meet women who had contracted Zika while pregnant and whose children experienced severe cognitive issues as a result. These women felt forgotten, overlooked, as they struggled to cope with their new reality. Then they came together to fight for reparations and respect. It's a remarkable story of persistence and triumph.

"I won't forget this special day that we stopped the traffic for the benefit of our kids," says Ruty Pereira. "If you don't fight, if you don't show up, people think that everything's perfect. And it's not perfect at all."

Read the story here.


Marc Silver,
Editor, Goats and Soda

in the news

For the first time since 1988, the U.S. is not officially commemorating World AIDS Day
Noting the decision not to mark the day, the State Department stated: "An awareness day is not a strategy." Activists in the fight to end the ongoing AIDS epidemic disagree.

Child deaths under age 5 will likely rise. Why?
A dramatic drop in mortality for youngsters under age 5 has been one of the great accomplishments in global health. But estimates suggest that in 2025 child deaths will go up.

Trump uses 'Third World' in a social media post. What's up with that term?
"I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover," he wrote on Truth Social. That label raises the issue of how to classify certain nations.

perspectives