Baby with microcephaly had Zika infection

In Brazil, most of the mothers who had babies with the condition – called microcephaly – were apparently infected during the first trimester, but there is some evidence the birth defect can occur later in the pregnancy, said the CDC’s Dr. Cynthia Moore.

If pregnant women have to travel to areas where Zika is spreading, say, for a family emergency or unavoidable business, the CDC advises that they take common precautions to keep mosquitoes away, like using repellant or wearing long sleeves and trousers.

Doctors at the Oahu hospital tested the baby for the virus after it was found to be suffering from microcephaly, a rare condition in which newborns have smaller than normal heads, the Hawaii State Department of Health said.

The first case of brain damage linked to the Zika virus within the United States was reported on Friday in Hawaii. In 2014, there were only 147 cases of the neurological impairment in the country.

According to Brazilian health authorities, more than 3,500 microcephaly cases were reported in Brazil between October 2015 and January 2016. But this is the first time it has been transmitted on Ecuadorian soil, said Veronica Espinosa, deputy cabinet minister responsible for monitoring outbreaks.

The alert, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lists the following countries and regions in Central and South America and the Caribbean: Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico.

Why hasn’t a link between Zika and the birth defect been noted earlier?

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is reportedly conducting research to determine how Zika affects fetuses. But amid warming global temperatures and increased global travel and trade, its mosquito hosts of the Aedes genus have spread to new areas, particularly countries in the Western Hemisphere.

But there are also viral infections that can cause it, such as rubella and chickenpox.

“The virus is spreading fairly rapidly throughout the Americas and a large percentage of the population may become infected”, he said.

In Hawaii, which has a climate more agreeable to the mosquitoes, health officials are telling citizens to pay attention to CDC travel recommendations and, at home, to double down.

So far, there is no specific treatment or vaccine for Zika. “However, recent chikungunya and dengue outbreaks in the United States suggest that Zika outbreaks in the US mainland may be relatively small and focal”.

Infectious disease control will need to step up its game if that reality comes to pass, said Fauci.