Thread: Two babies born in California with birth defects from Zika

August 04, 2016, 07:40 pm
Two babies born in California with birth defects from Zika



Two babies that were diagnosed with Zika-related microcephaly were born in California, a state public health official said, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The women that gave birth to the babies had contracted Zika while abroad in countries where the virus is endemic.One of the women is from one of those countries and returned there after having her baby in California, said California Department of Public Health director Karen Smith.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 13 babies have been born in the U.S. with birth defects from Zika.

This week, Florida reported the first cases of the virus being transmitted by mosquitoes within the U.S.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefi...ects-from-zika

The woman comes here to give birth to a diseased baby so the dumb Americans will be stuck paying the kid's healthcare cost for the
next 75 years.

Originally Posted by lorrie

The woman comes here to give birth to a diseased baby so the dumb Americans will be stuck paying the kid's healthcare cost for the
next 75 years.

Yep.

Article doesn't state how she was able to be in this country & be able to return back to her country. She was here for the birth, the anchor, the medical care anytime she wants it. They do not even mention in the media anymore whether the person is a citizen, an illegal, here on some kind of visa etc. The USA is really on track to be borderless, just like ryan's song -"people should be able to go back and forth, have jobs", In other words no more "country" USA.

Conservatives Call for Abortion Ban for Women With Zika

August 8, 2016 Tim Peacock

Despite the devastating effects the Zika virus wreaks on fetuses, several high-profile conservatives are calling for a ban on abortion for pregnant women who become infected with the mosquito-borne virus. In recent days both prominent Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes as well as failed GOP presidential hopeful Marco Rubio have come out in favor of forcing women to give birth to children with severe physical deformities.The politicization of the Zika Virus began earlier this summer when Congress proposed but failed to pass legislation funding prevention efforts.

Though Democrats blocked the legislation (due to the methods Republicans used to pull funding for the prevention), Republicans will ultimately be held responsible for any potential epidemic as they refused to budge on negotiating funding sources and then refused to allow a cleaner version of the funding legislation to appear before Congress went into recess.The push for prevention is vital as the Zika Virus is known to cause microcephaly and other serious developmental defects babies born with the virus. The CDC explained:

Since May 2015, Brazil has experienced a significant outbreak of Zika virus. In recent months, Brazilian officials reported an increase in the number of babies born with microcephaly.Since these initial reports of a link between Zika and microcephaly, researchers across the world began working to study the link between Zika during pregnancy and microcephaly. In a recent article, CDC scientists announced that there is now enough evidence to conclude that Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects and has been linked to problems in infants, including eye defects, hearing loss, and impaired growth. Scientists are studying the full range of other potential health problems that Zika virus infection during pregnancy may cause.

On its own microcephaly is cause enough for concern among expecting mothers as it can cause devastating fetal defects. The CDC elaborated on the condition:

Microcephaly is a condition where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected. During pregnancy, a baby’s head grows because the baby’s brain grows. Microcephaly can occur because a baby’s brain has not developed properly during pregnancy or has stopped growing after birth, which results in a smaller head size. [SNIP]Severe microcephaly is a more serious, extreme form of this condition where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected.

Severe microcephaly can result because a baby’s brain has not developed properly during pregnancy, or the brain started to develop correctly and then was damaged at some point during pregnancy. [SNIP]Babies with microcephaly can have a range of other problems, depending on how severe their microcephaly is. Microcephaly has been linked with the following problems:

• Seizures
• Developmental delay, such as problems with speech or other developmental milestones (like sitting, standing, and walking)
• Intellectual disability (decreased ability to learn and function in daily life)
• Problems with movement and balance
• Feeding problems, such as difficulty swallowing
• Hearing loss
• Vision problems

These problems can range from mild to severe and are often lifelong. Because the baby’s brain is small and underdeveloped, babies with severe microcephaly can have more of these problems, or have more difficulty with them, than babies with milder microcephaly.

Currently there is no cure or standard treatment for microcephaly meaning it is a life long condition for any baby lucky enough to survive it through his or her first year of life.That’s why women who contract the Zika Virus are encouraged not to plan a pregnancy for at least eight weeks to allow the virus to completely leave the body. That’s not possible for women who experience unplanned pregnancies or who are already pregnant.That’s where GOP conservatives enter the picture in attempting to force women with the Zika virus to give birth to children with these life-threatening conditions.Over the weekend Senator Marco Rubio said that he’s so pro-life he’d force a woman to have a child even if it meant a lifetime of medical bills and sorrow. “I understand a lot of people disagree with my view – but I believe that all human life is worthy of protection of our laws. And when you present it in the context of Zika or any prenatal condition, it’s a difficult question and a hard one,” he said. Rubio added, “But if I’m going to err, I’m going to err on the side of life.”Missing from his staunchly pro “life” sentiments is his proposal to help those families of children with microcephaly once that mother is forced to give birth against her will. Where is the GOP proposal to help these women with the lifetime of medical burdens they will face as a result of pro-forced-birth legislation?He’s not the only Republican calling for forcing birth on women with children suffering from severe birth defects caused by the Zika Virus. Trump surrogate Scottie Nell Hughes weighed in on the issue. Saying that children born with birth defects is “nothing new,” she argued:

We don’t have the research, we don’t know what Zika is going to do. And Sen. Rubio is doing the correct thing. One out of every 33 babies in the United States right now is born with a birth defect. We’re going to sit there and terminate a life because you’re possibly going to be born with [microcephaly]. I think that’s actually very hypocritical of the Democrat Party.

Note that’s not a type – Hughes did call it the “Democrat Party.” Moreover, medical science is actually in consensus that the Zika Virus causes severe microcephaly. We do have the research even if Hughes hasn’t bothered to read it.Once again the party that bills itself as “pro-life” is scrambling to take money away from the very community health organizations that would help populations of women at risk for Zika while claiming they want to force women to give birth to children with the virus that will require a lifetime of expensive medical care just to stay alive. And no where in any GOP forced-birth recommendation does any Republican offer remuneration for the families of Zika babies and their mothers for being forced into a lifetime of medical bills.That’s not being pro-life; that’s being pro-forced-birth while forcing a religious morality and financial burden on women who constitutionally have a right to choose for themselves whether they want to take on that burden.

http://www.peacock-panache.com/2016/...ika-24075.html

Baby with Zika-linked birth defect dies in Texas

Liz Szabo, USA TODAY11:28 a.m. MDT August 9, 2016

A baby girl with a Zika-related condition died shortly after birth, health officials said. Video provided by Newsy Newslook


(Photo: James Gathany, AP)

The Zika virus has claimed the life of a Texas baby, health officials reported Tuesday.

The baby, whose mother had traveled to Latin America during her pregnancy, died shortly after birth.

The infant was born with microcephaly, a condition in which a baby's head is abnormally small and, in most cases, brain development is incomplete.

The baby was born in Harris County, which includes Houston. It's the first Zika-related death in Texas.

Zika-related brain damage in fetuses "is one of the saddest congenital birth outcomes imaginable," said Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "The case highlights that ZIka is not just producing babies with small heads. . . .We should expect many similar deaths, and also stillbirths."

Fifteen babies in the U.S. have been born with Zika-related birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seven women have lost pregnancies due to Zika. Those numbers could grow. Nearly 1,000 pregnant women in the continental U.S. and territories have been infected with Zika.

Miami is battling a local Zika outbreak in the Wynwood neighborhood that has infected 17 people.

More than 7,300 Americans have been diagnosed with Zika, including 1,825 in the continental U.S. and Hawaii, according to the CDC.

Texas officials say the mother and her baby posed no risk to others. Last month, Texas reported its first case of microcephaly linked to Zika, also in Harris County.

“Zika’s impact on unborn babies can be tragic, and our hearts are with this family,” said John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. “Our central mission from the beginning has been to do everything we can to protect unborn babies from the devastating effects of Zika.”

http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/new...exas/88446620/