United States Federal health officials confirmed on Thursday 6 cases of Zika virus-linked birth defects. Three infants were born with a rare and severe birth defect known as microcephaly as well as an array of other fetal abnormalities. Three more have been lost to miscarriages or were aborted because of the birth defects.
All of the women were infected with Zika when they were traveling, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Officials are expecting localized Zika outbreaks in the U.S. as mosquito season has already begun. Zika has been declared an epidemic in Puerto Rico already and has at least one Zika-associated birth defect reported, but the recent six cases exclude Puerto Rico and other US territories, CDC said.
#rt: 6 Zika-related pregnancies in US, half carried to term with birth defects — RT America https://t.co/ubdDgDtDNK
— Zika News (@Zika_News) June 17, 2016
NBC News reports other Zika virus-linked complications which include calcium deposits in the brain suggesting possible brain damage; excess fluid in the brain cavities and around the brain; poorly formed or missing brain structures; abnormal eye development and other complications associated with brain damage that affects nerves, muscles, and bones, such as clubfoot or inflexible joints, CDC said. Local widespread of Zika virus in Puerto Rico is already occurring, and officials expect that about 20 percent of the island's 3.5 million residents could become infected.
The CDC says more than 200 pregnant women in the United States, both residents, and visitors, tested positive with Zika and another 189 cases in U.S. territories, mostly in Puerto Rico. The CDC will begin reporting Zika-linked birth defects in the U.S. territories in the following weeks.
In February, the CDC released a report that nine pregnant women had been infected with the Zika virus in the United States. Two of those women had miscarriages; the other two had abortions while one gave birth to a baby with serious birth defects. The two others howevr delivered healthy infants.The last two who ctracted the virus were still pregnant at that time. As stated in the reports in February, the virus was not necessarily linked to birth defects according to The Washington Post.
Last month, the officials said they were monitoring about 300 pregnant women who were possibly infected with the Zika virus. The agency has been receiving many requests for updates coming from the federal department to promote awareness to pregnant women, and their families however no details has been provided about the pregnancy outcome yet. The negative results are consistent with the damages caused by the Zika virus infections recorded in other countries which were declared Zika outbreak zones such as Brazil and Colombia.
