According to a CDC report, 8% of offspring of pregnant women who tested positive for Zika in the 1st trimester, 5% in the 2nd trimester and 4% in the 3rd trimester had birth defects linked to the virus.
First Southern California child born with defect caused by Zika virus
A baby born recently in San Diego County is the first in the region to suffer birth defects after the infant’s mother contracted the Zika virus while traveling abroad. A total of 87 people in San Diego County have tested positive for Zika, and all of the infections occurred while the patients were in other […]
The Scientists Trying to Keep Zika Out of Your Placenta
A drug – being studied as a preventative measure against fetal infection – would contain glycosaminoglycans, which the virus would find so irresistible that it would turn up its nose at the sugars in human cell membranes.
How Dangerous Really Is Zika For Babies?
Although the estimated risk of microcephaly appears to be lower than expected at 3-4%, the effects of Zika on a developing fetus may be vastly more common than previously predicted.
Study Offers Clues To Risk Of Zika Birth Defects In The U.S.
A US study involving 442 completed pregnancies by women exposed to the Zika virus shows that 6% resulted in Zika-linked defects in the fetus or baby with 4% having microcephaly, stressing the point that Zika poses a major risk despite the geography.
Zika can replicate in unborn babies’ brains for months — which could be why the disease is so devastating
Findings show the Zika virus is able to replicate in fetuses’ brains and mothers’ placentas for more than 7 months. The study looked at tissue samples including the brain tissue from 8 infants with microcephaly that later died.
Negative Effects Of Zika During Pregnancy More Common Than Realized
A study of 345 pregnant women in Rio de Janeiro found 55%, 52% and 29% of babies exposed during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters respectively had birth anomalies or irregular brain findings. Researchers also found that 83% of women who tested negative for Zika had used insect repellent compared to 60% of women who […]
Rio Grande Valley Zika Case Prompts Prenatal Caution
Doctors in the Rio Grande Valley have stepped up their observation of pregnant women following the first suspected case of locally-transmitted Zika. There are no advisories yet for pregnant women to avoid the southwest Brownsville neighborhood where the Zika patient lives. That could change if more cases crop up or if tests of mosquitoes turn out […]
Another Miami Neighborhood Now Zika-Free
After health officials reported that the Little River section of Miami is no longer an area where local Zika infection is active, Florida Gov. Rick Scott asked residents to remain vigilant by wearing bug spray and dumping standing water.
Scientists Identify Potential Zika Treatment for Pregnant Women, Fetuses
According to a new study in the journal Nature, a human antibody diminished the virus in pregnant mice, their placentas and thereby blocked or reduced transmission of the virus to their fetuses. More research is necessary to determine whether the antibody works similarly in humans.
