Health officials in New Jersey said a baby girl born on Tuesday, to a mother who was infected with the Zika virus, has severe microcephaly.
A New Jersey doctor from the Hackensack University Medical Center said a 31-year-old woman visiting the U.S. from Honduras was infected with the virus after she was bitten by the Aedes mosquito early on in her pregnancy.
Microcephaly is the birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to developmental problems. Manny Alvarez, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Hackensack, told NorthJersey.com that the premature newborn also suffers from intestinal and visual issues.
Dr. Abdulla Al-Khan, the hospital’s director of maternal-fetal medicine and surgery, said the mother came to the United States for treatment after Zika symptoms were discovered.
The baby girl was delivered though a cesarean section, and Khan said is “completely Zika-affected,” but confirmation of the virus in the newborn is still pending tests.
The Zika virus is mainly transmitted via the Aedes mosquito. The connection between Zika and microcephaly was first discovered last year in Brazil, where more than 1,300 cases have been confirmed. All cases are considered related to Zika infections in the mothers.
The outbreak is affecting parts of Latin American and the Caribbean.
ZIKA CRISES: Baby Born to Zika Infected Mom in New Jersey Has Microcephaly
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