Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

Brazil faces its worst recession in nearly a century, and a fraud scandal has ensnared an ex-president. Scores of demonstrators are calling for the impeachment of current President Dilma Rousseff.

Last week it was all about the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. That was about racism.

This week, social media erupted over something that has long been an issue within the black community. Colorism — the idea that your skin tone and not only your race determines your opportunities.

Actress Zoe Saldana faced ...

It's finally happened. The plain-old "like" on Facebook has expanded. You can now express love with a heart, convey laughter, astonishment, sadness and anger with an array of expressive little faces. They're emojis, but Facebook has branded them "reactions." According to an article in Forbes, Facebook said, "we heard ...

There have been several cases of abandoned babies already — at least three in Rio. And a psychologist believes that some men will walk out on their partner if a newborn has the birth defect.

Brazil is fanning out 200,000 troops to battle mosquitoes. It's part of larger efforts to combat the transmission of the Zika virus, which has been linked to brain abnormalities in Brazil.

NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro donned an elaborate, colorful costume to samba her way through Rio's Carnival parade competition — and recovered quickly after forgetting to tie a crucial double knot.

NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro dons a costume and participates in a Carnival parade in Brazil.

The highlight of Brazil's Carnival are the Samba parades, where 12 teams — called schools — compete for the top prize in Rio de Janeiro Monday night.

You wouldn't think of calling a mosquito "man's best friend." But that's the nickname that biologist Denise Valle uses for Aedes aegypti, the species that's been spreading the Zika virus in Brazil and many other countries in Latin America.

I think "man's best enemy" might be better.

The thing is, ...

Dancing mosquitoes, songs and free condoms are part of the events designed to raise Zika consciousness.

Researchers are looking into the possible link to birth defects — and suspected cases of hearing loss in adults. First they need a fast test to identify the virus.

Increased incidents of microcephaly in infants has spurred guidance to women that boils down to: Don't get pregnant. But women in Brazil have few options.

How many cases of microcephaly in Brazil have actually been linked to the Zika virus? Of the nearly 4,200 cases reported, only six have been linked with certainty to the virus.

An investigation is finding "profound abnormalities" in babies with microcephaly who are born to Brazilian mothers suspected of having the Zika infection.

A team of researchers working on a Zika vaccine has a massive study underway assessing pregnant women and newborns in the northeastern region of Bahia, Brazil. It is the largest study...

Authorities in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Jamaica are encouraging women to delay getting pregnant due to the spread of the mosquito-borne illness, Zika. The virus has been lin...

The government is trying to wipe out Zika virus, which has been linked to a severe birth defect. But is it doing enough to help families whose children have been affected?

Brazil was riding high when it was awarded the 2016 Olympics seven years ago. But the country is now in economic turmoil and facing a rash of problems as it prepares for the games in August.

Some 2 million Brazilians rang in the New Year on Copacabana Beach. The ritual of dipping into the sea for good luck, often under the influence, is no holiday for the lifeguards.

The biggest beach party in the world was going on around him, but lifeguard Cabo Guido Serafini was looking at the woman writhing on the sand.

She seemed like she was in convulsions, with her eyes rolling back in her head and a stream of what seemed like nonsense coming ...