Zika Confirmed Microcephaly Newborn Harris County Texas ex-Latin America

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Harris County Public Health (HCPH) has confirmed the first Zika related microcephaly case in Harris County and in the State of Texas. HCPH received a positive Zika test result for an infant who has been diagnosed with microcephaly at birth. The mother, who traveled from Latin America, was tested for Zika, but had received inconclusive test results. Since the infant received a definitive positive lab result for Zika, it is suspected that the mother probably carried the virus while pregnant, and presumably was infected in Latin America. 

http://publichealth.harriscountytx.gov/Portals/27/Documents/News/Zika_Micro_Press_7-13-16_.pdf?ver=2016-07-13-130439-127

 

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First Baby in Texas With Zika-Caused Microcephaly Is Born

• Alexandra Sifferlin @acsifferlin
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3:31 PM ET

    

Getty Images; Illustration by Marisa Gertz for TIME

The child's mother traveled from Latin America where she likely contracted the virus

 

 

A baby born in Texas is confirmed to havemicrocephaly due to an infection with the Zikavirus.

The child was born with the birth defect in Harris County, Texas, a region that includes Houston. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) announced that they received laboratory confirmation of a past Zika infection in a baby recently born with microcephaly. The child’s mother had traveled from Latin America, where the department says she was likely infected with the virus.

This is the first Zika-related microcephaly case in Texas, though at least three other babies have been born in the U.S. with the defect due to the virus. Texas has reported 59 cases of Zika, including three confirmed cases in pregnant women.

The DSHS acknowledges that local transmission of Zika in Texas is likely. Dr. Umair A. Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, previously told TIMEthat he would not be surprised if Zika is already transmitting locally in the state, since identifying these cases will be difficult. In a statement, the DSHS said officials do not expect large widespread transmission through the state. “Small pockets of cases in limited clusters are more likely,” the statement says.

 

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“Our central goal is protecting unborn babies from Zika,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner. “We are on alert for local transmission and will act fast to identify actual risk and continue to do everything we can to protect Texans.”

The White House requested $1.9 billion in emergency funding for Zika in February, but Congress has yet to pass a bill for it. The virus continues to spread through the Americas.

http://time.com/4405034/zika-microcephaly-texas/

 

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Baby with Zika-linked microcephaly born in Texas

USA TODAY 3:14 p.m. EDT July 13, 2016

 

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed in a lab at the Ministry of Health of El Salvador, in San Salvador, on February 7, 2016. Health authorities continue thei(Photo: MARVIN RECINOS, AFP/Getty Images)

A baby in Texas was born with Zika-linked microcephly, a condition in which babies have abnormally small heads and incomplete brain development.

The baby was born in Harris County, where Houston is located. The mother had traveled from Latin America, where she was likely infected with the mosquito-borne virus. Neither the mother nor the baby are infectious, and officials say there is no risk to the public.

“It’s heartbreaking. This underscores the damage Zika can have on unborn babies,” said John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. “Our state’s work against Zika has never been more vital.”

The U.S. can expect to see more babies born with microcephaly due to Zika, said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.

More than 1,100 travel-related Zika cases have been diagnosed in the continental U.S., including 320 cases in pregnant women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, where Zika is spreading among local mosquitoes, doctors have diagnosed 2,534 cases of Zika, including 279 in pregnant women. The true number of Zika cases could be much higher. That's because only about 20% of people infected with the virus develop symptoms, which include a rash, fever, joint pain and pink eye.

Between 1% to 13% of pregnant women infected with Zika virus give birth to babies with microcephaly, according to the CDC. For every baby born with microcephaly, there could be 10 to 100 more born with subtle damage related to Zika, Hotez said. The virus has been linked to pregnancy loss, growth restriction in the womb and vision problems in babies. Additional developmental problems could become apparent as Zika-affected babies grow up and attend school.

Babies also have been born with microcephaly in New Jersey and Hawaii. Both mothers had traveled to Latin America.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/07/13/baby-zika-linked-microcephaly-born-texas/87040518/

 

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1st baby in Texas diagnosed with Zika-linked microcephaly

Josh Davis, WFAA 2:45 PM. CDT July 13, 2016

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State health officials have confirmed a baby was born with Zika virus-linked microcephaly in Harris County. It is the first Zika-related microcephaly case in Texas.

Microcephaly is a condition where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected because the baby’s brain did not develop properly during pregnancy or stopped growing after birth, according to the CDC. Babies with microcephaly can have a range of other problems, depending on how severe their microcephaly is, ranging from seizures to intellectual disabilities to hearing and vision problems.

The condition has been linked to the Zika virus in South and Central America.

“It’s heartbreaking. This underscores the damage Zika can have on unborn babies,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner. “Our state’s work against Zika has never been more vital.”

Pregnant women or women who may become pregnant have been urged not to travel to areas where the virus has been identified. Other travelers are urged to take steps to prevent Zika infection, which can also be transmitted sexually.

According to health officials, the baby’s mother was likely infected in Latin America and the baby acquired the infection in the womb. Neither the mother or the baby are currently infectious.

Texas has logged 59 cases of Zika virus disease, including three confirmed cases in pregnant women. All are related to travel abroad to areas with active Zika transmission, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) said. There have been no reported cases of Zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes in Texas.

The DSHS said local transmission in Texas “remains likely,” but “public health officials do not expect widespread transmission across large geographic areas of the state. Small pockets of cases in limited clusters are more likely.”

To prevent the spread of Zika, protect yourself from mosquito bites by using the same tips we share to prevent the spread of West Nile virus. Those include:

• Applying insect repellent that contains DEET
• Wearing pants and long-sleeve shirts
• Closing windows and using screens to keep mosquitoes out of your home
• Remove standing water that has collected anywhere around your home
• Avoid outdoor activities at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active
• Cover trash cans or other containers where water might collect

“Our central goal is protecting unborn babies from Zika,” Dr. Hellerstedt said. “We are on alert for local transmission and will act fast to identify actual risk and continue to do everything we can to protect Texans.”

Zika virus is spread primarily through the bite of the Aedes species mosquito. According to the CDC, symptoms of Zika are usually mild and include fever, rash, conjunctivitis (red eyes), and joint-pain, lasting several days to a week.

Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon and death is rare.

There is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat Zika virus infection.

For more information about Zika prevention from the state, click here.

KHOU-TV contributed to this story.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/health/1st-baby-in-texas-diagnosed-with-zika-linked-microcephaly/272001851

 

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Texas Baby Infected With Zika Virus Born With Microcephaly

Posted By Mark Reagan on Thu, Jul 14, 2016 at 7:00 am

• Katja Schulz/Flickr Creative Commons
• Texas health officials reported the first Zika-related microcephaly case in the state.

A baby born in Harris County with an abnormally small head recently had the Zika virus, state health officials announced Wednesday.

The infant's mother had traveled to Latin America where she was likely infected and passed the virus on to her child during her pregnancy. 

It's the first Zika-related microcephaly case in the state. Microcephaly is a condition where an infant is born with an abnormally small head and has brain development problems. The Texas Department of State Health Services says neither the baby nor the mother are still infectious. 

There have been 59 cases of Zika virus in Texas, including three in pregnant women. Officials say all are related to people who have traveled abroad and there are no reported cases of Texas mosquitos transmitting Zika. However, it's likely the virus will spread here, but DSHS expects it to be limited to small pockets.

That assessment is based on the last Dengue fever outbreak, which struck Cameron and Hildago counties in 2013. Mosquitos transmit Dengue fever. Chikungunya virus, which is similar to Dengue, symptoms-wise, and is also transmitted by mosquitos, is like Zika in that previously people who contracted it had traveled abroad. However, in May, Texas health officials reported the first locally acquired case, according to Time magazine. 

The news that a child was born with microcephaly related to Zika in Texas comes as Republicans and Democrats clash in Washington D.C. over different proposals to fund Zika prevention and research.

http://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2016/07/14/texas-baby-infected-with-zika-virus-born-with-microcephaly

 

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Latin American woman gives birth to baby with Zika-caused microcephaly in Texas becoming the FIFTH case in the U.S.

• Latin American woman has given birth to a Zika-infected baby in Texas 
• This is believed to be the fifth child born in American with the condition
• At least four of the mothers were living overseas before giving birth here

By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 17:48 EST, 13 July 2016 | UPDATED: 18:45 EST, 13 July 2016

 

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A Latin American woman has given birth to a child with Zika-caused microcephaly in Texas, health officials have said.

The child was born in Harris County, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, to a mother who had traveled to America from across the southern border.

The woman, who has not been identified, was infected overseas but neither she nor her child are believed to be infectious and officials say there is no risk to the public.

A fifth child suffering from microcephaly because of Zika has been born in Harris County, Texas, to a mother from Latin America, health officials said (file image)

This is believed to be the fourth case of a child born in America with Zika-caused microcephaly, a rare birth defect that means the skull and brain do not develop properly.

At least three of those mothers were known to be living overseas before giving birth in America, granting their children automatic citizenship.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated earlier this year that it costs between $1million and $10million to treat a child with microcephaly throughout their lifetime.

Because the children were born on American soil, that will mean at least part of that medical bill will be covered by the state of their birth.

 

Back in January the first child with microcephaly was born to a mother in Hawaii, with officials saying she was living in Brazil when she fell pregnant in May last year and was likely infected there.

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It is not known whether the woman was a permanent resident of Brazil, or whether she entered this country illegally before giving birth.

Another child was born with microcephaly in New Jersey in June after its mother flew in from Honduras specifically for treatment.

The 31-year-old woman visited a doctor in Honduras after suffering a rash and a fever - both symptoms of Zika - but after an ultrasound she was told she would be fine.

She was eventually diagnosed with Zika in Honduras before she traveled to New Jersey, where she has relatives, Fox News Latino reported.

The young mother - whose name was not released publicly - may have entered the country on a tourist visa.

A 31-year-old woman from Honduras (pictured), who has not been named, gave birth to a baby affected with microcephaly at a hospital in New Jersey, saying she flew to America specifically to get treatment

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the cost of treating a child born with microcephaly could be up to $10million, at least some of which will be paid by the state of their birth

The US Customs and Border Patrol Agency declined to comment on the woman's immigration status.

A report released last month said that a third child had been born elsewhere in American with Zika-caused microcephaly, though it is not clear where or when, or whether the mother is a citizen.

A fourth Zika-affected child was born later the same month in Florida to a Haitian woman who traveled to this country in order to give birth.

The mother, who has not been identified, was infected overseas before coming to Florida. 

There are currently 820 cases of adults with Zika in the United States. All the cases are connected to travel to areas with outbreaks of the mosquito-borne virus, primarily Latin America and the Caribbean. There has been no local spread of Zika in the U.S.

There is a range Zika-related birth defects. The most common, and most obvious, is microcephaly, which stunts the development of the baby's brain, leaving the skull abnormally small.

Infected babies may also have excess fluid in and around the brain, abnormal eye development, clubfoot, inflexible joints, and calcium deposits in the brain.

Researchers estimate that for every 100 pregnancies involving women infected early in their pregnancy, one to 15 per cent will develop severe birth defects.

Fear of the virus spreading has led some athletes - such as golfer Rory McIlroy - to pull out of this summer's Olympics in Brazil.

There is currently no cure for Zika in humans, but a successful vaccine trial using mice has led to further trials on humans being announced for later this year. 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ZIKA 

WHAT IS ZIKA?

The Zika (ZEE'-ka) virus was first discovered in monkey in Uganda in 1947 - its name comes from the Zika forest where it was first discovered. 

It is native mainly to tropical Africa, with outbreaks in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. 

It appeared in Brazil in 2014 and has since been reported in many Latin American countries and Caribbean islands.

 

HOW IS IT SPREAD?

It is typically transmitted through bites from the same kind of mosquitoes - Aedes aegypti - that can spread other tropical diseases, like dengue fever, chikungunya and yellow fever. 

It is not known to spread from person to person. 

Scientists have found Zika can be transmitted sexually. The World Health Organization warned the mode of transmission is 'more common than previously assumed'.

And, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said couples trying to conceive should abstain or wear condoms for six months if the male has confirmed or suspected Zika.

Additionally, the CDC said couples should abstain or wear condoms for eight weeks if the female has confirmed or suspected Zika, or if the male traveled to a country with a Zika outbreak but has no symptoms. 

The first case of sexually transmitted Zika was reported in Texas at the beginning of February.

The patient became infected after sexual contact with a partner diagnosed with the virus after travelling to an affected region. 

 

Prior to this outbreak, scientists reported examples of sexual transmission of Zika in 2008.

A researcher from Colorado, who caught the virus overseas, is thought to have infected his wife, on returning home.

And records show the virus was found in the semen of a man in Tahiti.

So far, each case of sexual transmission of Zika involves transmission from an infected man to his partner. There is no current evidence that women can pass on the virus through sexual contact. 

The World Health Organization says Zika is rapidly spreading in the Americas because it is new to the region, people aren't immune to it, and the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries it is just about everywhere - including along the southern United States.

Canada and Chile are the only places in the Americas without this mosquito.

ARE THERE SYMPTOMS?

The majority of people infected with Zika virus will not experience symptoms. 

Those that do usually develop mild symptoms - fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes - which usually last no more than a week.

There is no specific treatment for the virus and there is currently no vaccine to protect against infection, though several are in the developmental stages. 

 

 

CAN THE SPREAD BE STOPPED?

Individuals can protect themselves from mosquito bites by using insect repellents, and wearing long sleeves and long pants - especially during daylight, when the mosquitoes tend to be most active, health officials say. 

Eliminating breeding spots and controlling mosquito populations can help prevent the spread of the virus.

Officials warn people not to leave open containers with water out. Female mosquitoes lay eggs in water, fueling the spread. 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3689197/Latin-American-woman-gives-birth-baby-Zika-caused-microcephaly-Texas-FIFTH-case-U-S.html#ixzz4EOMuXbyp 
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The mother of the first child with microcephaly in Texas spent part of her pregnancy in Colombia

 

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By: Univision

Published: July 14 | 12:17 AM

County health authorities Harris reported that the woman who gave birth to the first baby with microcephaly Texas was in Colombia in the first trimester of pregnancy.

http://www.univision.com/houston/kxln/noticias/virus-del-zika/la-madre-del-primer-bebe-con-microcefalia-en-texas-paso-parte-de-su-embarazo-en-colombia-video

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First baby born in Texas with Zika-related birth defect, officials say

Baby in Harris County born with microcephaly

Mother contracted Zika virus in Colombia

Congress unlikely to agree on funding before recess

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The mosquito kills nearly 750,000 people each year. Malaria is the cause for the majority of these deaths, but a Zika outbreak has the Americas scared of this insect. This is how the insect spreads disease to its victims. Sohail Al-Jamea and Meta Viers McClatchy

BY ISABELLE TAFT

The Texas Tribune

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AUSTIN 

A baby boy born with microcephaly in Harris County is the first known Zika-affected infant in the state, the Texas Department of State Health Services announced Wednesday.

The baby’s mother contracted Zika in Colombia, and the baby was infected in the womb, according Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health. The baby was born a few weeks ago outside of Houston, and tests confirmed that he had Zika on Monday, Shah said.

In a news release, State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt called the news “heartbreaking.”

“This underscores the damage Zika can have on unborn babies,” Hellerstedt said. “Our state’s work against Zika has never been more vital.”

microcephaly is a birth defect in which a baby’s head is unusually small. Depending on the severity of the case, it can cause developmental delay, intellectual disabilities, seizures and other problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A recent study estimated that babies born to women who contracted Zika in their first trimester of pregnancy have a 1 percent to 13 percent risk of microcephaly.

According to the CDC, as of June 30 seven infants had been born in the United States with Zika-related birth defects.

Texas has identified 59 cases of Zika this year, including three pregnant women, according to the state health department. All the cases involve people who contracted the virus while traveling to places with active Zika transmission.

State health officials believe local transmission of Zika is likely in Texas, though not on a large scale, based on previous experience with dengue, which is also a mosquito-borne virus.

“This case doesn’t mean there’s more risk in Texas, but it’s a sad reminder of the damage Zika can do,” Carrie Williams, a spokesperson for the state health department, said in an email to the Tribune.

Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine, predicted that the baby born with microcephaly in Harris County, represents the start of a wave of such births in Texas, as pregnant women who contracted the virus in Latin America deliver children with an elevated risk of birth defects.

If transmission of Zika begins on the Gulf Coast, Hotez said, there could be a second wave of Zika-affected births months from now.

“There’s a good chance that the transmission of Zika has already started in Texas,” Hotez said. “But without federal funds it’s hard to have the resources to look for it, diagnose it, and do the mosquito control.”

With three days left before its seven-week summer recess, congressional Republicans and Democrats remain deadlocked over Zika funding. Without new funding, research on a Zika vaccine will slow, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who oversees federal vaccine research, told the Miami Herald last week.

Hotez, who has visited Congress frequently in the last few months to advocate for funding, lambasted Congress’s failure to approve funding to fight Zika. In February, President Barack Obama requested $1.9 billion in funding for Zika. Congress has haggled for months, but progress appeared possible earlier this week when Democrats said they would agree to budget cuts to pay for a $1.1 billion Republican proposal, if Republicans would agree to remove provisions preventing Planned Parenthood affiliates in Puerto Rico from receiving Zika funding. Republicans rejected that plan yesterday.

“It’s almost as if they don’t believe the scientists or they think we’re making it up,” Hotez said. “It’s really unfortunate.”

In a press release in his capacity as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, invoked the news of the Zika-affected baby to criticize Democrats.

“The day after we held a subcommittee roundtable in Washington, D.C. on the Zika virus, a child was born in Texas with Zika-related birth defects,” McCaul said in the statement, issued jointly with Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications Subcommittee Chairman Dan Donovan R-NY.

“Senate Democrats need to put aside partisan politics in the face of this public health emergency and pass the supplemental funding at the agreed-upon $1.1 billion level.”

Williams said the state health department is currently fighting Zika with $3.5 million in federal money.

“People need to wear insect repellent,” Williams said. “We’re emphasizing that every day. We’re on alert for local transmission of Zika by mosquitoes, and when that happens our response will be fast and precise in those areas.”

Williams said the federal funding is insufficient to pay for mosquito repellent or abatement efforts, so the department is emphasizing education and training to help people limit contact with mosquitos. Additionally, the state has provided just over $400,000 to fight Zika.

In Harris County, Shah said, the focus is on educating the public about the dangers of mosquito bites, so that if Zika comes to Texas, the public is prepared. Shah, who has met with the mother and her baby, said that Wednesday’s news underscored the importance of that work.

“Zika is not a mild illness,” Shah said. “Zika can have devastating consequences.”

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article89464417.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.star-telegram.com/news/state/texas/article89464417.html