Via The Tico Times: Costa Rica confirms sixth case of a baby born with Zika virus. Excerpt:
A woman in the province of Guanacaste gave birth to a baby girl infected with Zika, bringing the total number of babies born with a congenital syndrome associated with the virus to six, the Health Ministry confirmed Thursday.
The ministry’s report states that in the first 22 weeks of this year there were 175 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne virus in the country. Of these, 27 are women who contracted the disease during their pregnancy.
Most of the infected people are residents of the Caribbean cantons of Siquirres and Matina, and from the Alajuela canton of Orotina.
The most serious complication of the congenital syndrome is microcephaly, a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. Zika can also cause blindness, deafness, difficulties in motor development and learning, all of which usually begin to manifest during a child’s growth and development.
