Medics yesterday confirmed the first case of a baby born in Ireland with the Zika virus.
A Brazilian woman gave birth to the girl at the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street in Dublin.
In 2016, the WHO declared a public emergency over the potentially fatal disease carried by mosquitoes that can cause babies to have brain and skull impairments.
Medics writing in the Irish Medical Journal said after 14 months, the tot had developed epilepsy, quadriplegic cerebral palsy, visual impairment and severe developmental delay. They added she “requires multidisciplinary healthcare”.
The report said the mum suffered from fever and myalgia while travelling in Brazil and the virus was detected in her blood at 11 weeks but not at 31 weeks gestation.
A urine test the day after birth was negative for the disease but the placenta did test positive.
The paper states although the infant was negative for Zika, she had many of the features of the illness such as a smaller head.
