Vietnam reports first microcephaly birth potentially linked to Zika
HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnam has reported its first case of microcephaly likely linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
The 4-month-old girl with an abnormally small head was born in central Vietnam to a mother confirmed to have had the virus when she was pregnant.
The Ministry of Health’s General Department of Preventive Medicine said on its website Sunday that the case had a “high probability of being linked to Zika virus and also the first in Vietnam.”
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If confirmed, Vietnam would be the second country in Southeast Asia after Thailand to have microcephaly case linked to Zika.
The virus generally causes a mild flu-like illness, but a major outbreak in Brazil last year revealed that it can result in severe birth defects when pregnant women are infected.