Babies exposed to the Zika virus before birth may face health problems related to the mosquito-borne illness, US officials say.
Zika mosquito Photo: 123.rf
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has analysed 4800 pregnancies which occurred between 2014 and 2016 including in the Marshall Islands, American Samoa and Federated States of Micronesia.
It said about one in seven babies had one or more health problems possibly caused by Zika.
Zika has been linked to thousands of suspected cases of microcephaly which is a rare birth defect marked by unusually small head size, eye abnormalities and nerve damage.
In late January, the health agency said the virus could be responsible for an increase in birth defects even in babies whose mothers had no laboratory evidence of Zika exposure during pregnancy.
The latest findings underscored the continued need for follow-up care of babies which may have been exposed to Zika before birth, it said.
The Zika outbreak was first detected in Brazil in 2015 and has been linked to thousands of suspected cases of microcephaly.
