The reports of cases of microcephaly in Brazil have posed a challenge for the public health, in particular, in Latin American countries such as Colombia, since despite their alleged relationship with the Zika virus, there is no information on the relation of other factors involved in the etiology of microcephaly are related with this increase in cases. There are also very few epidemiological statistics on the behavior of the etiological factors of microcephaly until the crucial year of 2015, not only in Brazil, but also in most Latin American countries. The changes in the incidence and prevalence of microcephaly are very variable due to the dissimilarities in the definitions, the development criteria and the differences among the populations with and without certified diagnostic standards and follow-up criteria for microcephaly. A general review of the microcephaly issue is made, in order to unify definitions, classification and etiology.