Brazilian and British scientists have released strong data suggesting that pregnant women with the Zika virus could give birth to newborns with microcephaly. As part of the study, more than 30 babies born in Brazil this year were examined.

According to the Washington Post, babies with microcephaly were compared with babies born about the same time in hospitals in Brazil. Microcephaly is a condition where a child is born with a characteristically small head.

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During the study, scientists discovered that babies with microcephaly were 50 percent likely to have contracted the infection through the Zika virus while still in the womb. The findings were published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.

While scientists at the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claim that the Zika virus is the cause of microcephaly and related birth defects, there was little data to support this. The recent revelations in the Lancet journal have provided strong circumstantial data for these claims.

"Although there is a strong scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly, the early findings from this case-control study are the missing pieces of the jigsaw in terms of proving the link," an infectious disease expert, Laura Rodrigues, told the American publication.

The scientists revealed in the journal that the undeniable association has led to the conclusion that microcephaly is a result of a congenital Zika infection.The study was published in the journal following a request by Brazil's Health Ministry, ABC reported. Brazil is one of the countries most severely affected by the Zika virus outbreak.

The Zika virus is spread mainly by mosquitoes. However, in rare cases, it has been contracted through sex. The virus is said to be benign and even pregnant women who carry the virus exhibit little or no symptoms.

The WHO estimates that more than a 1 million people have been infected with the Zika virus. In Brazil alone, more than 1,000 babies have been born with microcephaly since 2015. No cure or vaccine is available to treat the virus at the moment.