Health Department monitoring 30 babies for Zika VirusTop Stories

January 31, 2017 10:59
Health Department monitoring 30 babies for Zika Virus

The state’s Public Health Department is monitoring 30 babies, born or are living in Connecticut whose mothers were tested positive tested for Zika virus or Flavivirus during their pregnancies.

The agency said on 30th January (Monday) among those 30 babies two had Zika related birth defects and another nine were borderline for birth defects.

The Public Health Department is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in monitoring all 30 babies for Zika-related birth defects. It is also monitoring nine other women who have been confirmed to have Zika or Flavivirus.

Flavivirus is a related class of viruses that include Zika, dengue, yellow fever, and Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile virus.

The nine babies with borderline status will be following closely for changes in their measurements that could confirm or rule out microcephaly or other birth defects.

Commissioner of the Health Department said “It is a critical work with pediatricians to monitor these babies for signs of Microcephaly or other Zika-related birth defects throughout their first year, because in the past we have seen that these viruses are not necessarily readily apparent at birth.”

Microcephaly is a rare medical condition where a baby’s head is much smaller in size than expected. Microcephaly can be an isolated condition or occur in combination with other major birth defects.

He said that agency  encourages all OB/GYNs and hospitals in Connecticut to screen all pregnant women for Zika because 80 percent of people who contract the virus do not show early symptoms and do not realize they have it.

Pino said his agency strongly encourages all in the state The DPH said it had tested 1,208 people for Zika as of Jan. 18, including 873 pregnant women. Of those, 109 have tested positive for Zika, including six pregnant women. Another 44 have tested positive for Flavivirus.

“We can only track the patients we know have been tested, which means we could be missing a significant portion of pregnant women and babies exposed to Zika virus,” Pino said.

Pino said it is “imperative” that women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant carefully consider travel plans in areas where mosquitoes still carry Zika.

AMandeep

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Zika Virus  Connecticut news