The first baby in New Jersey with birth defects caused by Zika, a mosquito-related virus, was born at Hackensack University Medical Center on Tuesday.
The baby girl was delivered by C-section at 36 weeks and diagnosed with mircocephaly, a neurological condition in which babies are born with abnormally small heads, incomplete brain development and permanent disabilities.
Although the infant was born here in New Jersey, her 31-year-old mother wasn’t exposed to Zika in the US. She is believed to have contracted the mosquito-borne disease in her native country of Honduras and to have traveled to the US for treatment. Zika is transmitted mainly through the bite of an infected mosquito but can also be spread through blood transfusions and sex.
Reportedly, the expectant mother was initially being treated by her grandmother, a microbiologist who noticed she had developed a rash from mosquito bites and sent a sample of her blood to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
For now, Mom and daughter are being treated at Hackensack University Medical Center.
More Like This:
6 Ways To Prevent Kids From Getting Bit
