First Confirmed Case of Zika-Related Microcephaly in Canada

The first case of microcephaly related to the mosquito-borne Zika virus was confirmed in Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement that the baby showed "severe neurological congenital anomalies."

The World Health Organization included the occurrence of "congenital malformation associated with a travel-related case of Zika virus infection" in its weekly Zika update.

First Confirmed Case of Zika-Related Microcephaly in El Salvador
Zika, a virus typically carried by mosquitoes, was first detected in the Central American country in November.

‘The first case of microcephaly in canada was associated with a travel-related case of Zika virus infection.’

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The WHO did not say where the mother contracted the infection.

This is the second confirmed case of maternal-to-fetal transmission of the virus in Canada. A pregnant woman who was infected while traveling transmitted the virus to her baby, but the child appears to be healthy.

The Canadian public health agency said it is aware of 13 confirmed cases of the virus in pregnant women in this country.

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The increase in microcephaly is linked to an explosion of the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus, with an estimated 1.5 million people infected.

No details on any of the cases were provided in order to protect the privacy of the families.

The total number of confirmed cases of the Zika virus in Canada, meanwhile, has risen to 205 as of August 11.

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Northeastern states in Brazil have been hardest hit by Zika, especially Pernambuco with 336 cases), Bahia with 254 and Paraiba 139.

Two were the result of sexual transmission, while the remainder were travel-related.

Zika often causes no symptoms, but is particularly dangerous for pregnant women because it can lead to the birth defect microcephaly, in which infants are born with unusually small heads and deformed brains.

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Six Honduran women have delivered babies with the birth defect microcephaly in just three days, raising fresh concerns about the spread of the Zika virus.

Source-AFP