(19 Oct 2016) It's a long ride to the nearest treatment centre where, Angelica Pereira takes her 1-year-old daughter for therapy to improve muscle movement in her rigid legs and arms, one of many results of devastating birth defects from the Zika virus known as congenital Zika syndrome.
On top of logistical challenges Pereira faces, she also struggles to find and afford expensive drugs for her daughter Luiza because government health plans don't cover them.
A year into the epidemic, many mothers like Pereira are also struggling to get the government to make good on promises to help with myriad aspects of taking care of children with so many medical needs.
"We have to leave everything behind to care for these babies," said the 21-year-old mother.
Zika initially was known only to cause flu-like symptoms in some people. But a surge late last year in cases of babies born with small heads in northeast Brazil set off worldwide alarm about the virus, which was later linked to a birth defect known as microcephaly.
When the connection was made, then-President Dilma Rousseff promised that affected families would get the help they needed.
While the government has provided therapy and financial assistance to some of the babies diagnosed with congenital Zika syndrome, mothers such as Pereira say it doesn't come close to meeting their overwhelming needs,
Some families plan to sue the government to get more families with disabled children the 275 US dollars a month now currently provided to households earning less than 70 dollars a month. They also want the government to pay for medication for babies with epilepsy, increasingly common in children whose mothers were infected with Zika during pregnancy.
State-run health care in Brazil is woefully underfunded, and patients often wait months for treatment.
Susana Lima said she depends on church donations to purchase anti-epileptic medication that is crucial for her 1-year-old son Wilian. On top of the high cost of the medication, she also struggles to find it in local pharmarcies, as only a few carry the specific drug.
"Their life (is) at risk if they stop taking these medications," said Lima who has another young daughter to care for.
Many mothers also struggle to get appointments for specialized treatments or exams in the public health system and end up borrowing money from relatives to pay for private hospitals and doctors.
The health secretary for Recife, Jailson Correia, says the city has yet to receive funds from the state or federal government for a special child development division.
The plan is to create a group of pediatricians, child neurologists, social workers and physical, speech and occupational therapists who treat children with congenital Zika syndrome.
Correia says the city has offered epilepsy drugs on a case-by-case basis because they are not provided through the public health plan, but that help won't last forever.
"The city's financial resources are already strained," Correia told The Associated Press. "So it is important that the state and federal government take a more active role."
The Zika crisis comes as Latin America's largest nation weathers a two-year recession that has pushed inflation and unemployment to over 10 percent. A proposal under consideration by Congress would cap public spending, raising fears about cuts for health and education.
Treating children with neurological problems is not cheap.
Carla's father was recently fired from his job as a doorman, but Bernardo says the government won't provide financial aid because his former salary was over minimum wage.
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