{"id":25459,"date":"2017-04-24T15:42:45","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T19:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/?post_type=news-item&p=25459"},"modified":"2017-04-24T15:46:26","modified_gmt":"2017-04-24T19:46:26","slug":"zika-virus-can-trigger-epilepsy","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/news-item\/zika-virus-can-trigger-epilepsy\/","title":{"rendered":"Zika virus can trigger epilepsy"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes can spread the Zika virus. An infected pregnant woman\u2019s newborn can be affected and experience severe neurological birth defects. CBS NEWS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beyond its known links to birth defects and other problems, the Zika virus may also trigger cases of epilepsy in infants, warn experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n

Among 48 babies from Brazil with probable congenital Zika infection, \u201c50 percent reportedly had clinical seizures,\u201d said Dr. Daniel Pastula, Dr. Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp and Rosemarie Kobau.<\/p>\n

All three have studied Zika at the CDC, and co-wrote an essay on the Zika-epilepsy connection, published online April 17 in\u00a0JAMA Neurology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Zika virus is transmitted via mosquito bites, and its most devastating effects occur when pregnant women are infected. In those cases, Zika can trigger severe neurological birth defects such as microcephaly, where infants are born with underdeveloped skulls and brains. Thousands of such cases have occurred in South America, most notably in Brazil.<\/p>\n

And other pediatric defects and illnesses linked to Zika are emerging.<\/p>\n

According to the CDC team, besides the group of 48 babies cited above, seven of another group of 13 Zika-exposed babies in Brazil were also diagnosed as having epilepsy.<\/p>\n

The finding isn\u2019t overly surprising since the types of brain abnormalities seen in Zika-affected newborns have been linked to seizures and epilepsy in the past, the team noted.<\/p>\n

In a prior study, babies exposed to another common virus, called cytomegalovirus, had higher rates of epilepsy as well \u2014\u00a0and showed brain abnormalities that were similar to those associated with Zika.<\/p>\n

All of this points to \u201cthe need to examine how and to what extent congenital Zika virus infection and resulting brain abnormalities are associated with seizures and\/or epilepsy,\u201d the CDC authors wrote.<\/p>\n

Early diagnosis of affected babies is crucial, the researchers added, and may lessen \u201csome adverse outcomes associated with developmental delay.\u201d
\nRight now, parents and health care professionals may not be aware of the Zika-epilepsy link, the CDC researchers said, so cases \u201cmay be misdiagnosed or under-reported.\u201d<\/p>\n

The researchers believe that heightened awareness will be key to spotting cases of epilepsy linked to fetal exposure to Zika and helping babies.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the CDC said that \u201cbetter recognition, diagnosis, and reporting of seizures and epilepsy in infants and young children will help guide interventions to make sure families receive the right support and treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7211,"featured_media":25462,"template":"","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHealthy Newborn Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/news-item\/zika-virus-can-trigger-epilepsy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zika virus can trigger epilepsy - Healthy Newborn Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beyond its known links to birth defects and other problems, the Zika virus may also trigger cases of epilepsy in infants, warn experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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It may also be transmitted sexually, and other modes of transmission (such as through blood transfusions) are under study. While the disease commonly has only mild effects in adults, there is scientific consensus that the virus can cause microcephaly in newborns, which can\u00a0result in serious, long-term impairments. The mechanism of how Zika infection during pregnancy causes disruptions in brain growth and development as well as links to other neurological complications are also being investigated.<\/span><\/p>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=\"1\/2\" el_class=\"issue-stats\"][vc_row_inner content_placement=\"middle\"][vc_column_inner el_class=\"text-red\" width=\"1\/4\"][vc_column_text]\r\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><span class=\"ticker\">86<\/span><\/b><\/h1>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=\"3\/4\"][vc_column_text css=\".vc_custom_1652127217210{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;}\"]\r\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">number to date of total countries and territories <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/health-topics\/zika-virus-disease?msclkid=3912fb49cfd411ec8a8a8d3c00ddb2ca#tab=tab_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">that have reported<\/a> evidence of mosquito-transmitted Zika infection.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_separator][vc_column_text]\r\n<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">All data on this page represents the most recent data available, unless otherwise noted. Please visit our\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/numbers\/\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">Newborn Numbers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-style: italic;\">\u00a0page and download the Excel spreadsheet to explore the data further.<\/span><\/h6>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=\"stretch_row\" css=\".vc_custom_1452696349804{margin-top: 30px !important;margin-bottom: 30px !important;background-color: #f6f6f4 !important;}\"][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=\"Key Resources\"][vc_row_inner equal_height=\"yes\"][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/zika\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Zika resources<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/health-topics\/zika-virus-disease?msclkid=3912fb49cfd411ec8a8a8d3c00ddb2ca#tab=tab_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WHO Zika facts and resources\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cidrap.umn.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, University of Minnesota<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/ecdc.europa.eu\/en\/Pages\/home.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">European Center for Disease Control<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_text_separator title=\"Other Resources\"][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=\"1\/2\"][vc_column_text]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pubs.rsna.org\/doi\/full\/10.1148\/radiol.2016161584\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Congenital Brain Abnormalities and Zika Virus: What the Radiologist Can Expect to See Prenatally and Postnatally <\/a>(2016)<\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marchofdimes.org\/find-support\/topics\/planning-baby\/zika-virus-and-pregnancy-infographic\">March of Dimes Zika virus and pregnancy infographic<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.paho.org\/hq\/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11585&Itemid=41688&lang=en\">PAHO Zika page<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/collections\/zika-virus-zikv-clinical-and-travel-guidance\">Public Health England<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=\"1\/2\"][vc_column_text]\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/series\/zika-update\/\">STAT: Zika in 30 seconds: What you need to know today<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/zika-virus\">The Guardian<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/afludiary.blogspot.com\/\">Avian Flu Diary (Florida-based blog)<\/a><\/li>\r\n \t<li><a href=\"http:\/\/crofsblogs.typepad.com\/h5n1\/\">H5N1 blog (Vancouver-based)<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]","post_title":"Zika virus disease","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"zika","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-11-02 17:41:49","post_modified_gmt":"2022-11-02 21:41:49","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"http:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/?post_type=issue&p=19165","menu_order":0,"post_type":"issue","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"}],"regions":[],"countries":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/25459"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news-item"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/25459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthynewbornnetwork.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}