Confirmed: Zika Virus Causes Fetal Brain Abnormalities

According to a report by the New England Journal of Medicine, the zika virus infection can cause fetal brain abnormalities as well as prolonged maternal viremia. The Zika virus which became more infamous recently with the outbreak in South America in 2015.

“One striking feature of the current ZIKV outbreak is the apparent increased risk of intrauterine or perinatal transmission of the virus as well as the marked increase in the number of newborns with microcephaly reported in Brazil.”

Because of the way this virus seems to be transmitted, the CDC has issued a travel advisory for pregnant women, as well as guidelines for health providers caring for all travelers from affected regions. They also recommend that pregnant women with a history of travel to an area in which ZIKV is endemic should undergo ZIKV serologic testing and fetal ultrasonography to screen for microcephaly or intracranial calcifications.

Interestingly, an estimated 80 percent of ZIKV infections are asymptomatic.

For more information and a case study, read the full study.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1601824#t=article

Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.