New York: The mosquito-borne Zika virus has infected at least 116 people, including an infant who was born with a severe brain development disorder, in the US, according to a leading American public health institute.
"During January 1, 2015, February 26, 2016, a total of 116 residents of 33 US states and the District of Columbia had laboratory evidence of recent Zika virus infection based on testing performed at CDC," the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said in its latest report. The CDC said among those who tested positive was an infant.
"Cases include one congenital infection and 115 persons who reported recent travel to areas with active Zika virus transmission or sexual contact with such a traveler."
"One case occurred in a full-term infant born with severe congenital microcephaly, whose mother had Zika virus disease in Brazil during the first trimester of pregnancy. Among the remaining 115 patients (including the infant's mother), 24 had illness onset in 2015 and 91 in 2016," the report said.
Microcephaly is a rare defect that causes newborns to have unusually small heads and damaged brains.
Zika has become an epidemic in Latin America and the Caribbean since last fall. The virus is mainly spread through mosquito bites and has been potentially linked to birth defects.
The virus is primarily transmitted to humans by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Most infections are asymptomatic. Zika virus disease should be considered in patients with acute onset of fever, rash, arthralgia, or conjunctivitis, who traveled to areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission.
CDC's latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said that the most frequently reported countries with active Zika virus transmission visited by the patients were Haiti, El Salvador, Colombia, Honduras, and Guatemala.
