Brazil confirms that zika virus is causing birth defects in the country

The Brazillian health ministry had confirmed on Sunday that there is a link between birth defect cases found in the country with the Zika fever that has been affecting Africa. The mosquito-borne virus from Africa is reported to have been carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which is the same mosquitoes spreading other viruses such as yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya.

According to authorities, the mosquito is causing a rise in the birth defect cases reported in Brazil this past month with two adult death and 739 cases reported as of Sunday.

BBC News reported that the defect is known as micro-encephalitis, where a newborn child will suffer an inflammation of the brain contracted in the first months of pregnancy.

The news was confirmed after an investigation carried out by doctors on the blood and tissue of a baby who suffered from micro-encephalitis in Ceara area found a trace of Zika virus in it. Due to the new information, Brazilian health ministry has invited a team from the World Health Organization to help out with the case which is expected to arrive in the country by next week.

According to Channel News Asia, the team is from Atlanta, United States and is a specialized team for disease control. The team will observe the cases, research, and provide a control effort to the government.

As a precaution measure, the government had issued a warning in the affected region for a couple to think carefully before getting pregnant during this period according to the Radio New Zealand News. Most of the cases of Zika virus reported are in the north-east and southeast of Brazil including in Rio and Sao Paulo.

The adult death reported in Brazil marks the first case where an adult died because of the Zika virus. The first death reported in the city of Belem, in Para state where the victim was first treated for Lupus, but the doctor found out that he was infected by Zika virus after a post mortem.

For the second death, the adult, which is a 16-year-old girl was first suspected to suffer from Dengue fever also occurred in the Para state.

According to the health ministry, the first cases of Zika in Brazil was first reported in April but due to improper control, the disease managed to spread to over 18 states in the country. The ministry is planning to perform a full emergency control program to avoid the virus from spreading out of control.