Zika Linked to Baby Joint Deformities

The newfound problem

Experts fear that Zika infection experienced during gestation could cause deformed limbs in the baby. In the journal BMJ, seven questionable circumstances are described by Brazilian scientists from Recife, which is the city at the heart of the Zika epidemic.

The virus has not only managed to spread across more than America and prevented people from physically viewing the Olympic host nation but now has been causing a severe foetal brain defect. Pregnant women are advised to be cautious. Expectant mothers should not commute to area with Zika, and those living within such zones should avoid coming in contact with mosquitoes which are carriers for the disease. Researchers now come to an agreement that Zika is able to cause a long-lasting brain damage to developing foetuses in the womb.

The virus caused Zika can conveniently pass through the placenta from the mother to the foetus. And there is a budding proof that it can initiate an uncommon, weakening state of the nerves in adults, which is called Guillian-Barre syndrome. Dr Vanessa van der Linden and her team established in Brazil said that they are now come across limb joint problems and defects in new born children that could be a possible caused of Zika.

Zika outbreak

They studied seven babies alleged to have be exposed to Zika infection in the hospital, and had born that they were born with knee, elbow, wrist and or finger, hip joint problems that looked appropriate with a medical analysis called arthrogryposis.

The defects of arthrogryposis, (also called crooked joints) are results of faulty muscles; few too contracted or tight and some too relaxed, that have stretched and help the child’s developing body in abnormal positions. Dr. Linden’s team are dubious that the Zika virus affect nerve centres of the brain that supply the muscles around the joints, rather than the joint itself. This idea was supported when scans of the babies’ brain were studied.

All the seven babies that were examined were confirmed negative for

extra pre-birth infections, like HIV and rubella that could have been a probable cause of their defects. Most had limb deformities as well as microcephaly. She also said that, from the time she began writing up her findings, she came across 14 more children with problems alike and is running additional tests. From the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Professor Jimmy Whitworth commented that while not solid evidence, the proof that Zika might to be blameworthy was “pretty enthralling.”

He added that, ‘Microcephaly is the most recognizable form of pre-birth infection with Zika, however it is becoming crystal clear that’s just a portion of the whole range of damage that the virus can cause. The challenge was putting an end to the spread of the infection and showing some concern for those who could possibly be affected in both the long term as well as short term.

Tests show that the present epidemic could be carried on for three to four years. They also suspect that there will be tens of thousands of new-born children who could be infected with Zika. Meeting their psychosocial and corporeal needs will be the actual challenge."