The first case of microcephaly has been detected in Canada in a fetus exposed in utero to the Zika virus, health agencies report.
For the first time, a Canadian fetus is suffering from microcephaly linked to the Zika virus, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced on Friday, cited by the Canadian press. The fetus is the victim of “serious congenital neurological abnormalities,” she said.
This is the second case of transmission of the virus between mother and fetus in Canada.
In the first case, however, no abnormalities were observed at birth and the baby appears to be healthy, even if he remains under close surveillance.
Low risk of transmission
PHAC did not give further details, “in order to protect the privacy of those affected,” declining to say whether the pregnancy will be carried to term. It is also not known how and where the mother became infected with the virus.
The agency was also reassured, recalling that the risks of transmission are “negligible” in Quebec. This is because the virus needs heat to replicate.
In Canada, there are currently 200 confirmed cases of Zika virus infection. All of the people had traveled abroad to an endemic area. In Brazil, the first country affected by the epidemic, at least 1,800 cases of microcephaly or malformation of the central nervous system potentially linked to the virus have been identified.
.
