Zika Virus more harmful than we thought

Emobileclinic Health News

Zika Virus more harmful than we thought

Zika virus popularly perceived to cause microcephaly with babies born with small heads could be more dangerous than we thought. Recently Zika virus was confirmed to be sexually transmitted in victims whose spouses had visited the affected locations thereby warranting an urgent test to all pregnant women and intended pregnant women with such partners. The latest damage reported on PLOS had a devastating life threatening effect on the fetus as it led to stillbirth.

The new reported case as reflected in the baby of a 20 year old in Salvador, Brazil caused hydrops fetalis and damages to body parts.

As reported by Samo Manoel,the ‘’fetus had developed hydrops fetalis, as well as severe central nervous system defects such as microcephaly and hydranencephaly’’ This shows that in addition to the existing damage of microcelphaly, Zika virus is capable of causing several damages such as spontaneous abortion, stillbirths ‘’with abnormal accumulation of fluids in the fetus’’.

Discussing on this case, the reporter said ‘’ the first indication of abnormal pregnancy was the ultrasound finding of intrauterine growth retardation in the 18^th gestational weeks’’ and feels this was due to the early exposure of the mother to the virus prior to first trimester which resulted in hydranencephaly and hydrops fetalis in the fetus which led to fetus being delivered at 32 weeks due to fetal demise.

This report differs from other cases in the sense that previous studies reported restricted damages to the brain and in some cases placenta in new born and foetuses with microcephaly, but this present case reported the virus in the ‘’central nervous system and amniotic fluids and not the heart ,lungs, liver or placenta’’ Samo said.

Source

PLOS Neglected Tropical Disease