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Bolivia confirms first cases of babies born with microcephaly

Xinhua, November 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Bolivia said Wednesday that it has registered three cases of babies born with microcephaly, due to the Zika virus.

Three cases had been confirmed in the Santa Cruz Department, the head of epidemiology of the health department of Santa Cruz, Roberto Torres, said at a press conference.

Bolivia joins a number of countries across the Americas, despite having far lower numbers for the moment. Brazil has registered over 1,600 cases of microcephaly while Colombia has seen around 600.

Microcephaly is a malformation which sees babies being born with very small skulls, leading to incomplete brain development, and problems with motor functions and speech, according to the WHO.

According to Torres, there have been 127 cases of Zika in Santa Cruz, the worst-hit Bolivian region. Fifty-seven pregnant women have been confirmed as infected, with 41 giving birth and three babies being born with microcephaly.

The first baby with microcephaly was born on Sept. 20 in the town of Portachuelo, the second on the same day in the town of El Torno, and the third in the city of Santa Cruz on Oct. 14.

After confirming these cases, Torres encouraged the population to double efforts to fight the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the carrier of Zika, dengue and chikungunya.

"The fight against the mosquito is not the exclusive responsibility of health authorities. The population must collaborate in cleaning their homes to avoid the mosquito's proliferation," he warned. Endit