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Baby born with microcephaly born to USA mom with Zika

In its report Friday, the CDC did not give the women’s hometowns; state health officials have said there were two pregnant women with Zika in IL, three in Florida and one in Hawaii, who gave birth to a baby with microcephaly. To minimize risks of complications, public health officials recommend that pregnant women or women wanting to get pregnant, follow CDC guidance to prevent Zika infections.

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Zika, a mainly mosquito-borne virus, has been linked to a spike in birth defects in Brazil, where thousands of babies have been born with unusually small heads since a year ago.

– It is still unclear whether Zika infection during pregnancy is responsible for recently reported birth defects involving brain development.

As of February 17, CDC had received reports of nine pregnant travelers with laboratory-confirmed Zika virus disease; 10 additional reports of Zika virus disease among pregnant women are now under investigation. That could prompt women to have an abortion based on a positive Zika test, even if there are no signs of microcephaly found during ultrasound tests.

The CDC recommends that men who recently visited a country with the virus use a latex condom or don’t have sex with their pregnant partners.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. If you’re pregnant, avoid travel to a place where Zika is spreading. CDC has a list of Zika symptoms on its website at http://www.cdc.gov/zika/symptoms/.

Sangue Bom carries out clinic analyses, among them searches for Dengue, Zika and Chicungunya viruses in blood.

Two pregnancies ended in miscarriage, but it’s not clear if the Zika infection was the cause. The disease is typically spread by mosquito, and more than two dozen countries have reported cases of local transmission.

The new information underscores the importance of following that advice, said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden.

The CDC said the Zika outbreak in Brazil is “dynamic” and that it will continue to monitor the situation and will adjust these recommendations as needed.

The Zika virus is transmitted by mosquitos.

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“If you travel most people don’t get infected, but some do”, he explained.

The WHO anticipates the Zika virus will likely spread to all but two countries in South Central and North America