Barcelona registers Europe's first Zika microcephaly birth

Baby with microcephaly born in Barcelona hospital.

A woman in Barcelona has given birth to a baby with the congenital brain condition microcephaly, in what is the first recorded case of its kind in Europe.

The unidentified 41-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with the Zika virus during the middle stage of her pregnancy, gave birth at Barcelona's Vall D’Hebron hospital on 25 July.

Doctors confirmed that her baby has the brain-damaging disorder microcephaly whose most noticable symptom is a undersized head circumference. The baby's gender has not been revealed for privacy reasons but is said to be in a stable condition.

The woman is believed to have caught the Zika virus while traveling in Latin America, reportedly in Colombia, which incidentally declared the end of its Zika epidemic on 25 July.

Spain has had 190 known cases of the virus which is transmitted primarily by mosquitoes but also through sexual contact with an infected person. Out of the 190 people diagnosed with Zika in Spain, 189 were infected after travelling in Latin America, in particular Brazil, while one person was infected by sexual transmission.

Earlier this year the Zika virus was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Wanted in Europe, part of the Wanted Worldwide network, is a website in English for expatriates in Europe established in 2006. We cover Europe's news stories that may be of interest to English speaking residents along with tourists as well. Our publication also offers classifieds, photos, information on events, museums, churches, galleries, exhibits, fashion, food, and local travel.
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