According to Hawaii officials, a baby born in the state with microcephaly was infected with the Zika virus at birth.
Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the mother of the child was probably infected with the virus when she left Brazil last spring. An outbreak of the disease had occurred in Brazil since October, with more than 3,500 children being born with microcephaly.
"We are saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn," said Sarah Park, Hawaii State Epidemiologist. She also noted that neither the mother nor the baby is infectious, and there is no risk of transmission in Hawaii.
Microcephaly is a rare condition marked with the abnormal smallness of a baby's head. It is often associated with incomplete development of the brain. According to studies, microcephaly can be linked with the Zika virus, which itself is transmitted by mosquitos.
Women considering getting pregnant were advised by the CDC to consult doctors before going to areas with a higher risk of Zika infection, and travelers in general were advised to take precautions to avoid getting mosquito bites.
As of Jan. 16, there are a total of 17 areas in Latin America and the Caribbean with active Zika transmission. Those include: Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Mexico, Martinique, Paraguay, Panama, Suriname, Saint Martin, Venezuela and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. That list, however, is growing, with Barbados having reported its first cases on the same day.
The virus itself was first discovered in Uganda in 1947, and while it has spread throughout Africa and Southeast Asia, it has never been considered a huge risk because of the fact that the disease it causes is usually quite mild. While around 80 percent of people infected with it report no symptoms, those with symptoms usually get fever, rashes and red eyes. It is rare that the infection causes hospitalization.
Via: The New York Times
