Tuesday, Dr. Gabriel Timothée, Director General of the Ministry of Public Health, said that Haiti had identified its first case of microcephaly linked to Zika virus, adding that the case was confirmed Saturday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Timothée said the baby with microcephaly, was born in the town of Mirebalais earlier this summer.

Until now, Haiti has confirmed 14 cases of birth defects since March, up from previous reports of two cases, said Raymond Grand-Pierre, the Director of the Department of Health and Family in the Ministry of Health.

In the other 13 cases, the authorities have not establish a link with the microcephaly, although this number may indicate that Zika virus is more widespread in Haiti than previously thought.

According to a table provided by the CDC, Haiti has registered more than 3,000 cases of Zika. But the WHO says that most cases of the virus in Haiti are suspected but not confirmed.

The organization "Zanmi Lasante" indicated in a statement dated August 9, that two babies were born suffering from microcephaly at the University Hospital of Mirebalais.

Recall that officials of the US Health concluded that the infections by Zika virus in pregnant women can cause microcephaly in the newborn. Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that there was a strong scientific consensus that the Zika virus can also cause cases of Guillain-Barre disease, a rare neurological disorder that causes temporary paralysis.

See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-17949-icihaiti-health-more-than-2-600-confirmed-cases-of-zika-in-6-months.html

SL/ HaitiLibre