Guatemala has first case of Zika-related microcephaly
GUATEMALA CITY – Health officials in Guatemala say a mother who contracted Zika has given birth to a baby with the country’s first virus-linked case of microcephaly.
Dr. Carlos Mejia is the director of infectious diseases at Roosevelt National Hospital. He says there were also two confirmed cases of Zika-related Guillain Barre, which can cause temporary paralysis and in some cases death.
Mejia said Wednesday that there are at least two other suspected cases of microcephaly that await confirmation.
Babies born with microcephaly have abnormally small heads, lack full brain development and suffer from a range of other ailments.
The mosquito-borne Zika virus has been shown to be especially dangerous for pregnant women, though the virus itself causes only minor symptoms, if any, in the infected.
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