First zika-related birth defect recorded in Spain

Spain has recorded its first case of a foetus developing the microcephaly birth defect after a pregnant woman became infected with the zika virus, said health authorities.

Spain has recorded 13 expectant mothers who have contracted the virus after travelling overseas, though no others are known to have developed defects.

The mosquito-borne zika virus has been linked to hundreds of cases of microcephaly in countries such as Brazil, which has declared a public health emergency over the disease.

The birth defect is marked by babies born with brain abnormalities and undersized heads.

Though dozens of people in Spain and Europe are known to have contracted zika, usually after spending time in affected countries, there have so far been few cases of babies developing microcephaly symptoms as a result in the region.

“A [pregnant] woman was infected by zika and dengue and the foetus shows signs of having developed various malformations,” health authorities in the northern Spanish region of Catalonia said in a statement.

The woman, who is 20 weeks into her pregnancy, has decided to keep the baby, Spanish media reported.

A similar case was diagnosed in Slovenia, in a woman who became pregnant living in Brazil and who aborted the foetus.

Spain had 105 known cases of zika infections at the latest count, all of which resulted from travelling overseas.

Other countries such as France have reported cases of zika being sexually-transmitted.

There is no cure or treatment for the virus, which is usually transmitted by mosquitoes and has spread to over 30 countries.

Meanwhile, a study in Brazil found nearly 90% of people with a rare paralysing condition said they had symptoms of zika earlier — contributing to mounting evidence zika may be a cause.

But there are caveats: It’s a small study, and researchers don’t yet have blood test results confirming the patients were infected with zika before they suffered muscle weakness and paralysis.

The partial findings were reported by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Zika causes only a mild and brief illness, at worst, in most people.

But last year, when outbreaks were being reported in Brazil for the first time, doctors also saw a dramatic increase in severe brain-related birth defects in babies born to women infected during pregnancy.

After looking at different kinds of evidence, health officials this year concluded zika causes birth defects.