A baby was born in a hospital in Oahu Hawaii with brain damage caused by a mosquito carrying the Zika virus. The virus has been ravaging the South American country of Brazil and 13 other countries and Caribbean territories, but this appears to be the first confirmed case in the U.S., according to Reuters.
The baby’s mother lived in Brazil in May 2015, where it is believed she was bitten by a mosquito carrying the Zika virus, which also infected the baby while it was in her womb. Hawaii state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said in a statement, “We are saddened by the events that have affected this mother and her newborn.”
Though the Zika virus is not a life-threatening illness, it has been linked to causing brain damage and an increased rate in the cases of microcephaly, babies born with small heads and brains, according to NBC News. A warning has been issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautioning women to avoid traveling to countries and territories during pregnancy where mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus are prevalent.
“Pregnant women in any trimester should consider postponing travel to the areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. Pregnant women who do travel to one of these areas should talk to their doctor or other healthcare provider first and strictly follow steps to avoid mosquito bites during the trip,” the CDC said.
The countries and territories that are included in the CDC alert are Venezuela, Brazil, the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Colombia, Suriname, El Salvador, Paraguay, French Guiana, Panama, Mexico, Guatemala, Martinique, Honduras, and Haiti. The warning issued by the CDC also applies to women who are attempting to become pregnant.
A doctor attending to the woman in Hawaii, who was infected with the Zika virus, was aware that there might be a possibility that the woman was infected with the Zika virus, and he notified state health officials. The CDC did a blood test that confirmed the woman had been infected. The baby born with brain damage in Hawaii also had microcephaly caused by the Zika virus.
Reportedly, the woman and her new-born baby are not infectious, themselves, and cannot spread the Zika virus to others. However, the Hawaii health department issued a medical advisory to doctors throughout the state to make them aware of the possibility that women they treat who have lived in and/or traveled to other countries and territories might be also infected with the Zika virus.
The same species of mosquitoes that spread the chikungunya and dengue viruses, the Aedes species, also spreads the Zika virus. The Aedes species of mosquitoes are common throughout southern states in the U.S. like Florida and Texas. The had never before been any reported cases of the Zika virus in Hawaii, though the same mosquitoes who cause it have been responsible for transmitting the dengue virus to people in the state.
Some of the symptoms of the Zika virus are similar to cold symptoms, like pain in the joints, a rash and what is generally a mild illness with fever. Symptoms only occur in about one in four or one in five people. According to the CDC, there have, so far, not been any treatments or preventive vaccines developed to combat the Zika virus.
The incidence of microcephaly has greatly increased in babies born in Brazil. According to NPR, the number of cases of microcephaly has gone up from an average of around 200 per year to greater than 3,000 cases in 2015. Pregnant women who live in Brazil in areas of the country where there has been a high incidence of the Zika virus have begun advising women to “delay having a child.”
Though there was a baby born in Hawaii with brain damage due to the Zika virus, to date, it is the only known case of anyone in the U.S. having the virus. The same mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus live in Hawaii and some southern states, therefore, there is a possibility that more cases may be discovered in the near future.
By John Samuels