A baby has been born with Zika-related birth defects in New Jersey. Zika has been linked to microcephaly, in which a baby’s head is smaller than expected because the brain hasn’t developed properly.
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She first came to the hospital on Friday where she had an ultrasound that showed her baby had microcephaly.
“The patient opted to come to the United States for better care for her and her unborn fetus”, said Dr. Al-Khan. Her mother was originally form Honduras and contracted the virus when visiting back home.
“I told my gynecologist that I had an allergic episode”, she recounted in Spanish to Fox News from her hospital bed before the birth.
The child was born with intestinal and visual issues as well, and doctors believe the mother was infected during the second trimester of her pregnancy, Fox News reported.
The baby is the second to exhibit potential Zika-related defects, according to CNN, which said the first was born in Hawaii in January. The CDC has joined the World Health Organization in recommending that pregnant women avoid traveling to Zika-affected countries.
– Men who have traveled to a Zika-infected area who have not had symptoms of the virus are now advised to abstain from sex or use a condom for at least eight weeks after returning from the area.
“They know what to anticipate”, she said.
Al-Kahn said the baby looks “completely Zika affected”, and while further tests are required to confirm the virus, he’s “90 to 95 percent” sure it’s Zika.
A baby with Zika-linked microcephaly in the United States was born on Tuesday, marking the first-ever case in the NY tri-state area but the third in the country.
Doctors say the newborn faces an uncertain future because of the Zika-related setbacks, and now the family can only hope and pray the little baby can overcome the challenges ahead.
For all the drama surrounding the baby’s arrival, the actual birth was an “uneventful” cesarean section Tuesday, her physicians said.
The mother is not doing well emotionally after the birth of her child, a relative said.
The mother is “hanging in there”, Al-Khan said. She arrived in the US about a month ago.
All five cases have been contracted while the victims were in countries with current Zika outbreaks.
When asked how prepared American hospitals are to handle cases of Zika, Frieden affirmed that many are ready, but that pregnant women who are infected should to seek specialty care.
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Zika is transmitted by Aedes species mosquito carriers. The victims all contracted the disease while traveling overseas. Dr. Alvarez expressed, “It tells you that Zika is real”.
