Brazilian health authorities on Saturday confirmed a link between a form of fetal brain damage and the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
The link between Zika, first medically identified as a new disease half a century ago, and birth defects has never been made.
The virus, endemic in parts of Africa, South America, Southeast Asia and some Pacific islands, has until now been blamed for symptoms such as fever, mild headaches, skin rashes, joint pain and conjunctivitis, or “red eye.”
Initial analysis shows that the virus can be passed to a fetus and that the fetus is at greatest risk from the virus during the first three months of pregnancy, a statement by the Brazilian Ministry of Health said.
More tests and studies are needed to clarify the exact method of transmission and infection, the statement added.
A surge in recent months of babies born with microcephaly, or an unnaturally small brain, in Brazil’s northeast, led authorities to suspect the virus might have more sinister effects than previously recorded, the ministry said.
Microcephalic children can suffer developmental and intellectual difficulties that limit intelligence and muscle coordination for life.
The ministry’s conclusion was made after tests on the tissue of a deceased child with microcephalic symptoms by the Ivandro Chagas Institute in Belem, Brazil, one of South America’s leading health institutes. There is also evidence that Zika has contributed to the deaths of adults weakened by other diseases.
Zika is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is also known to carry the yellow fever, dengue and Chikungunya viruses.
The ministry said that the new information means that Zika has become a serious risk to public health and that Brazil must embark on an emergency program to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent the virus’ spread.
Brazil has invited the Atlanta, Georgia-based US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to visit the country and observe research and control efforts, the ministry said.
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