Florida reports its first instance of a baby born with Zika-related birth defects, according to
the Miami Herald.
The baby's mother, a Haitian citizen, came to Florida to deliver her baby. She contracted a travel-related case of Zika, and her child was born with microcephaly, which causes an abnormally small head and under-developed brain. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, this can cause intellectual disability, poor motor function, and seizures.
There is no cure, and Zika cases
tend to be "very severe, possibly requiring lifelong intensive care."
The Florida Department of Health announced on Monday that there were over 200 recorded Zika cases, all travel-associated, including 183 that don’t involve pregnant women and 40 that do. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, has requested that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meet with Sunshine State medical professionals to discuss preventative measures for pregnant women. He also announced that he’ll exercise his executive power
to use $26.2 million in state funding to combat Zika.
"It is heartbreaking to learn that a baby has been born with Zika-related microcephaly in our state and my thought and prayers are with the mother and child," Scott said in a statement reported by the Herald.
President Barack Obama requested $1.9 billion from Congress to fight the virus, but lawmakers haven’t granted his request. According to
the White House page on Zika, the virus is spread by mosquitoes, the same kind that spread dengue and chikungunya. Most people who contract the virus experience no symptoms, but it can cause mild illness in some.
According to the CDC, "no local mosquito-borne Zika virus disease cases have been reported in U.S. states, but lab tests have confirmed Zika virus in travelers returning to the United States. These travelers have gotten the virus from mosquito bites and some non-travelers got Zika through sex with a traveler."
The Herald also reports that the child will go into the Health Department’s Early Steps program, which provides support for families with infants or small children with inhibited development, or conditions that could result in delayed development.
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