Baby in Hawaii is Confirmed With Zika-Linked Birth Defect

On Saturday U.S. health officials confirmed that a baby born with brain damage at a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii, was infected by the virus in what is the first case of the disease in a birth on U.S. soil.

In the Hawaii case, a doctor recognized the possibility of a Zika infection in the newborn baby with microcephaly and alerted state officials, the Hawaii State Department of Health department said in a written statement.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the mother was likely infected while in Brazil in May 2015.

“But I think it’s important for us to understand that there are going to be imported cases of Zika to the United States and we won’t be surprised if we start to see some local transmission of the virus”, he added.

But in pregnant women, the virus can spread to the fetus and cause brain shrinkage – a rare condition called microcephaly that severely limits a child’s intellectual and physical development – or death. Zika virus is related to the dengue, yellow fever and West Nile viruses, which normally do not cause such damage; Zika is not closely related to rubella or cytomegalovirus, which are known to cause microcephaly.

It also includes advice that women who are trying to become pregnant should consult with their doctor before traveling to those areas. According to the CDC, there have, so far, not been any treatments or preventive vaccines developed to combat the Zika virus.

The CDC on Friday recommended that pregnant women consider postponing travel to any countries or regions with active Zika virus transmission. Zika causes a mild illness with fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, with symptoms usually lasting under a week. By late 2014, the virus had reached Easter Island, off the coast of Chile. That country is experiencing an outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus and, since October, has had more than 3,500 children born with microcephaly.

Hawaii is conducting a “Fight the Bite” campaign meant to stop its dengue outbreak. More than 200 cases have been reported between September 2015 and December 2015.

“They all can be combated in the same way”, Dr. Park told HuffPost, after highlighting the need for a state-wide campaign that raises awareness and educates the public on the dangers of mosquito hot-beds like standing water.

Zika can be transmitted by a mosquito that has bitten an infected person.

The Hawaii health department said it sent a medical advisory about the infection to doctors across the state but emphasised that neither the mother nor baby were infectious.