Baby with Zika-related microcephaly born in US

Washington, June 1: A baby with Zika virus-related microcephaly was born in New Jersey state of the US, hospital officials said.

The baby and mother were stable and doing well following the caesarean delivery on Tuesday, said Abdulla Al-Kahan, director of maternal and foetal medicine at Hackensack University Medical Centre.

The mother is visiting the US from Honduras and doctors first examined her when she came to the medical centre on May 27, CNN reported.

Ultrasound screening revealed the baby had "significant microcephaly", including calcification and dilated ventricles of the brain, according to Al-Kahan.

Doctors believed she was infected during the second trimester of her pregnancy. She experienced a fever and rash, both symptoms of the mosquito-borne disease, which is known to cause the devastating birth defect microcephaly and other neurological disorders.

"When she developed the symptoms, she was seen by an OBGYN who suspected the baby was growth restricted," Al-Kahan said.

Al-Kahan said this is believed to be the third case of a baby born with Zika-related microcephaly in the US.