Zika birth defect may only become clear months after birth

Zika causes only mild symptoms in most people, but pregnant women experience a high risk of giving birth to babies with microcephaly (e.g.an abnormally small head). Links to other neurological complications are also being investigated. Almost 30 countries have reported birth defects linked to Zika, with over 2,100 cases of nervous-system malformations reported in Brazil alone.

Van der Linden’s team has been watching many babies born after the mothers tested positive. “The now pending results reflects the most recent samples sent to CDC”. World Health Organization intends to continue studying Zika as a serious infectious disease that will require years of research.

Zika has been shown to cause a variety of birth defects, such as microcephaly and a number of brain-related issues. She’s with the department of radiology at Barao de Lucena Hospital in Recife, Brazil.

The infants received extensive imaging, neurologic, ophthalmologic, auditory and orthopedic examinations, according to the study.

Pregnant women or couples considering pregnancy should keep in mind the virus has also been transmitted to woman through sex.

Everyone can agree that 2016 has been a very hard year, but as it comes to an end so do numerous things that made it so, like the elections and the worldwide public health threat caused by the Zika virus.

Numerous adults in this study had changes to certain spinal and facial nerves.

“Microcephaly might not be evident at birth but can develop after birth in infants with underlying brain abnormalities”. The spread of Zika to 67 countries and territories is a grim reminder of the lack of immunity against the virus and the abundance of mosquito vectors.

“Until we have a vaccine, this is going to be something we’re going to deal with”, Scott said at a news conference in Miami Beach.

In the third study, researchers conducted ultrasound and fetal MRIs on Zika-infected pregnant women at different stages of pregnancy. “These findings demonstrate the importance of early neuroimaging for infants exposed to Zika virus prenatally and the need for comprehensive medical and developmental follow-up”.

One Georgetown University global health law expert says he thinks the decision to change Zika’s designation is “unwise” and says the virus still holds the potential for an explosive epidemic.