Hawaiian Baby With Brain Damage Is Zika Virus Victim

A baby born with brain damage at a hospital in Oahu, Hawaii, has been confirmed to have been infected by the Zika virus, that state’s department of health said, in what appears to be the first U.S. case of the mosquito-borne virus. It often produces flu-like symptoms (fever, headaches and joint pain) as well as skin rashes and conjunctivitis.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a “Level-2” travel alert in 14 countries and territories in the Western Hemisphere due to the startling spread of the Zika virus.

Voice of America News reports (http://bit.ly/1WjnD2r ) that the baby has suffered brain damage. The virus has been linked to a recent surge in birth defects including microcephaly, a rare condition in which newborns have smaller than normal heads and their brains do not develop properly.

“We are saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn”, said Sarah Park, a Hawaiian state epidemiologist.

Last month, Brazilian authorities identified Zika cases in 20 of 27 states, most notably in the state of Pernambuco, which reported more than 1,000 cases and three deaths. Park said neither the mother nor the baby in Hawaii is still infectious.

Zika can be transmitted by an Aedes species mosquito that has bitten an infected person, but cannot spread between humans. Then CDC and other experts found evidence of the virus in babies diagnosed with microcephaly. Fewer than 150 such cases were seen in all of 2014.

“Pregnant women in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing”. Check the CDC travel website frequently for the most up-to-date recommendations.

Canada last week issued a health advisory urging travelers to guard against mosquito bites when visiting the countries of Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, Venezuela.

It also advised women who were trying to become pregnant to consult a doctor before travelling to those areas. The list of countries with transmission has been steadily growing; on Saturday, Barbados reported its first cases.

It is also not known whether the virus alone causes microcephaly or if it happens only if the mother has a previous infection, such as with dengue virus.

The Health Ministry says 3,530 babies have been born with microcephaly in the country since October. CDC is developing interim guidance for pregnant women as well as sharing additional information about Zika with public health officials, clinicians and the public.

“We are in contact with global laboratories, with our laboratories in Brazil, so we can develop, in record time, a vaccine against Zika, which will be much simpler to develop than dengue, which has four serotypes”.