The doctors at Hackensack University Medical Center performed an emergency C-section to deliver the baby, and (as ultrasounds had concluded) she was born with microcephaly, along with intestinal and visual issues.
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She is from Honduras and doesn’t want people to know about her identity.
The infant is only the second baby suspected of being born in the US with the Zika virus-related birth defect, characterized by an abnormally small head and brain.
Doctors believe she was infected during the second trimester of her pregnancy.
Dr. Abdulla Al-Khan, the hospital’s director of maternal-fetal medicine and surgery, says the mother came to the U.S.to seek treatment after Zika symptoms were discovered.
A baby was born in Hawaii earlier this year with microcephaly.
According to a story published on the topic by 6ABC, “Officials with the Hackensack University Medical Center say the baby girl was born Tuesday with microcephaly, a condition where the child’s brain and head are partially developed resulting in a smaller sized head”. The hospital expressed that it will provide the woman and her baby with the best care they can give. The test confirmed the expectant mother had been exposed to the Zika virus, he said.
So far, all the almost 600 cases of Zika infection reported in the United States have been connected to travel to outbreak areas none were locally transmitted. There have been no reports of Zika-induced microcephaly contracted in the United States.
Scientists are still trying to determine how risky a Zika infection is for pregnant women.
According to CNN, Dr. Al-Khan explained, “The mother is stable, obviously sad, which is the normal emotional reaction given the situation”. Sexual transmission of Zika from a male partner is also possible, according to the heath agency. She delivered the baby while visiting the United States at the Donna A. Sanzari Women’s Hospital at Hackensack UMC. The woman turned the fetus over to authorities, and it’s not clear if she miscarried or ended her pregnancy.
Edwards said for children with microcephaly pediatricians will monitor them throughout their lives and get them extra support if they start to miss major developmental milestones.
Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on the Zika virus.
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United States health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly.
