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CDC: Baby born in Oahu was infected in the past
The mother likely got Zika infection while living in Brazil
A Hawaii newborn born with microcephaly, an unusually small head, had been infected with the Zika virus. The case could be the first one reported in the United States linking the birth defect with the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the baby recently born in Oahu was infected in the past.
“The mother likely had Zika infection when she was residing in Brazil in May 2015 and her newborn acquired the infection in the womb,” Hawaii’s health department said.
“Neither the baby nor the mother are infectious, and there was never a risk of transmission in Hawaii.”
The Zika virus has been in the news a lot lately in connection with microcephaly. Here are a few points to help you better understand it.
Why are we hearing so much about Zika?
Until recently, the Zika virus was not widely associated with the congenital brain condition.
But in the past four months, microcephaly cases in Brazil rocketed to 3,500, and 46 babies died. For comparison, there were only 147 cases altogether in 2014.
Health officials feared the jump may have something to do with pregnant women getting infected with Zika virus, which had also been spreading in Brazil.
Out of an abundance of caution, the CDC advised pregnant women last week to put off travel to m