Bleak Future Awaits Babies Born With Zika Microcephaly

The parents of babies born with microcephaly caused by the Zika virus are likely facing a lifetime of challenge and commitment. It's quite possible they will end up taking care of their brain-damaged son or daughter for the rest of their lives. In many instances, that adult child may not walk or even talk. "It could become a very complicated life for those parents," Dr. Stephen J. Lauer, associate professor and associate chair of pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical Center, told Healthline. "It could be a real burden for those families." That sober reality is now in the spotlight at a New Jersey hospital. Officials at Hackensack University Medical Center confirmed today that a child born there has Zika-linked microcephaly. They said the 31-year-old mother contracted the virus while in Honduras and was admitted to the New Jersey medical center on Friday while visiting the United States. Microcephaly isn't all that rare. There are an estimated 25,000 cases a year in the United States alone. They are caused by a number of factors. Many of these children are born with small heads but have little or no brain damage. However, Lauer pointed out, the severe microcephaly induced by the Zika virus is a far more serious situation. Scientists have determined that the Zika virus attacks a certain type of developing brain cells. That's why it only brings on mild flu-like symptoms in adults and children but causes devastating effects on fetuses whose brains are forming....
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news