Several studies have recently confirmed that Zika virus damage to infants may not show right away. Researchers have discovered that, despite the appearance of normalcy at birth, infants who were exposed to Zika in the womb may present microcephaly and other forms of brain damage as well as vision and hearing problems.
Several studies have recently confirmed that Zika virus damage to infants may not show right away. Researchers have discovered that, despite the appearance of normalcy at birth, infants who were exposed to Zika in the womb may present microcephaly and other forms of brain damage as well as vision and hearing problems.
In Brazil, over 7,000 cases of brain damage potentially related to the Zika virus have been reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention know have reports of roughly 287 Zika-infected pregnant women in the U.S. According to the reports, all of these infections were contracted through travel. The CDC also has reports of another 250 infections in U.S. territories like Puerto Rico. Seven infants were born with birth defects, while another six have either been aborted, miscarried or died.
According to the CDC, Zika is usually contracted via bites from infected mosquitoes of a certain species (Aedes or Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). These mosquitoes are known to be active during the day as well as the night. Zika may also be contracted via sexual contact with an infected partner. There is currently no known vaccine or drug treatment for the virus, which has been found in the continental U.S.
One study, conducted by Brazilian researchers, show 20% of Zika-infected babies born with brain damage related to the infection had normal-sized heads. Their study also showed that several of the mothers didn’t present the visible symptoms of the Zika virus, such as rashes. Zika often causes “invisible infections,” which is not good news for expecting mothers. Nor is there a “safe stage” of pregnancy, according to the researchers. The Zika virus may cause brain damage late in pregnancy.
The study, conducted by Dr. Cesar Victora of the Federal University of Pelotas in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and his team examined 602 newborns who were suspected of having affects from the Zika virus. In the team’s report, published in the Lancet medical journal, the stated that, “About one in five definite or probable cases had head circumferences in the normal range.”
What does this mean for parents and infants? Dr. Victora and team say that it could show several more infants are a part of the Zika epidemic in Brazil than previously thought. “The finding of several newborn babies with neuroimaging abnormalities despite normal sized heads suggests that the initial focus on microcephaly was too narrow.”
Doctors have suspected that the virus targets developing nerve and brain cells and that newborns who seem fine at birth could still suffer brain damage related to the infection. Dr. Victora’s study confirms these suspicions.
Yet another study showed that pregnant monkeys could suffer Zika infections lasting up to two months, though the duration of infection is typically two weeks in non-pregnant hosts. The researchers in this study think the same thing may be happening in pregnant women, which means the Zika virus could be affecting the fetus the whole time.
Dr. Sherif Zaki from the CDC and his team looked at three Zika-affected infant who died after birth, along with the placentas from two miscarriages that happened early in the pregnancies after the mothers were infected. Their findings indicated many Zika-related types of brain damage along with genital and limb deformities.
The CDC issued a statement that the findings from these studies suggest it is important to continually evaluate infants who may have been exposed to the Zika virus before birth. The statement also highlighted the “importance of early neuroimaging for infants who were exposed to Zika virus prenatally.”
According to the Agency, despite the fact that the infants studied all tested positive for in-womb Zika exposure, abnormalities in head growth weren’t found until the infants were at least five months old.
Sources:
Zika babies may look fine at birth, display defects later: CDC
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