But no other mosquito-borne virus has been linked to neurological effects in a fetus carried by a woman who was bitten, said Dr. Richard Temes, director at the Center for Neurocritical Care at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, who was not involved in the report.
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Microcephaly is a congenital condition that causes abnormally small heads and hampers brain development.
Pregnant women are urged to postponing travel to areas where Zika virus is circulating among mosquitoes and take precautions to avoid mosquito bites if travel is necessary.
Thursday’s report found a stillborn fetus with devastating loss of brain tissue but also another defect that by itself can be life-threatening severe swelling and fluid build-up in other parts of the body.
The new case is reported in the journal Public Library of Science Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Since we have discovered Zika, every case of microcephaly reported was instantly associated with Zika. “I’m a little skeptical to be honest…it’s scary, and I have a lot of reservations about going to the Olympics”, Solo added, pointing to Wednesday’s World Health Organizations warning that the Zika outbreak would likely worsen. However, scientists have yet to confirm whether a female host can spread the virus to her sexual partners. So far, the evidence is circumstantial, they wrote.
At least one person in Saskatchewan has Zika virus.
Its transmission to US travelers in countries dealing with infections has been viewed inevitable.
Women who are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant should postpone travel to Zika affected areas, officials say.
And although it seems Zika has been more of a concern among his female patients, Levin said men shouldn’t necessarily disregard advice related to the virus.
Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood: Mosquitoes can develop in any water stagnant for more than three days.
Global health officials are racing to better understand the Zika virus behind a major outbreak that began in Brazil previous year and has since spread to many countries in the Americas. Her pregnancy appeared normal through the first trimester, and she tested negative for other potential causes of microcephaly such as HIV, hepatitis C, rubella and toxoplasmosis. That changed abruptly during the course of the 18th week of pregnancy, when an ultrasound examination discovered that the fetus’ weight was well below where it should have been at that point.
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By the thirtieth week, the foetus showed a range of birth defects and labour was induced.
