‘The Babies Cannot Stop Crying’: Treating Zika’s Smallest Patients
Although much of the focus has been on prevention and vaccines, experts are scrambling to help doctors and families understand the lifelong ramifications of microcephaly and other Zika-related developmental disorders.
The Washington Post:
Lifelong Care, Heartaches Ahead For Babies Born With Zika In The U.S.
At least 12 babies in the United States have already been born with the heartbreaking brain damage caused by the Zika virus. And with that number expected to multiply, public health and pediatric specialists are scrambling as they have rarely done to prepare for the lifelong implications of each case. Many of Zika’s littlest victims, diagnosed with microcephaly and other serious birth defects that might not immediately be apparent, could require care estimated at more than $10 million through adulthood. Officials who have been concentrating on measures to control and prevent transmission of the virus are now confronting a new challenge, seeking to provide guidance for doctors and others who work with young children with developmental problems. (Sun, 7/24)
In other news about the outbreak —
The New York Times:
A Grim First: New York City Reports Baby Born With A Zika-Related Defect
Health officials on Friday reported the first baby born in New York City with the Zika-related birth defect known as microcephaly, a condition marked by an abnormally small head and impaired brain development. The virus has caused more than 1,500 children to be born with birth defects around the world, mostly in Brazil. As it continues to spread, doctors are struggling to understand the virus and to prepare for its effects. The baby in New York is one of a growing number of children born in the United States with microcephaly, a condition that requires intensive care and can lead to a variety of other problems, including seizures, vision and hearing loss and intellectual disability. (Santora, 7/22)
The New York Times:
Summer Travel And The Zika Virus
Health officials have warned pregnant women to avoid travel to the more than 45 countries and territories in which the Zika virus is circulating. Infection during pregnancy can lead to birth defects in infants, particularly brain damage and abnormally small heads, called microcephaly. But with the Olympics nearing and summer tourism in full swing, what about other travelers? What are the risks of visiting a Zika-affected country for a woman who has no plans to get pregnant — or her partner, or her child? Here are some answers to commonly asked questions. (Saint Louis, 7/22)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
This Year, It's The Zika Virus. But What About Next Year?
This year, the Western Hemisphere is reeling from an outbreak of the mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to unusually small heads and brain damage in newborns. It prompted the World Health Organization to advise Brazilians to consider delaying pregnancy. And it is overshadowing the Summer Olympics set to start in Rio de Janeiro next month. On July 8, the first death in the continental United States from the virus was confirmed. But Zika is just the latest of many. (Lyon, 7/22)
