Zika virus can pass through the placenta of pregnant women

Brazilian scientists have discovered Zika virus in the amniotic membranes of two pregnant women, evidence that the virus can cross the placenta and affect the fetus.

The Aedes mosquito is believed to be the primary carrier of the Zika virus.

The Lancet infectious disease journal cited research by a team of doctors from Brazil's Oswaldo Cruz Institute saying that the fetuses of the two pregnant women were diagnosed with microcephaly.

London-based Zika virus expert Jimmy Whitworth said the new findings further strengthen evidence that the Zika virus is the cause of microcephaly in thousands of newborns in Brazil.

The two women experienced symptoms such as fever, muscle aches and rashes during their first trimester of pregnancy. When the fetuses were about 22 weeks old, ultrasound scans confirmed that the fetuses had microcephaly.

However, the Barzin team of scientists cautioned that they need to conduct more research to have more evidence to strengthen the link between Zika virus and microcephaly, which causes brain shrinkage in newborns.

“The above study is not enough to decide whether the Zika virus detected in the amniotic membranes of the two pregnant women above causes microcephaly in children or not,” emphasized Dr. Ana de Filippis, head of the research team.

Reuters news agency reported that many scientists around the world believe that the Zika virus may be the main cause of microcephaly in newborns and a serious neurological disorder in adults called Guillain-Barre disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency over the Zika virus and called for urgent research into the disease amid a surge in suspected microcephaly cases in Brazil and several Latin American countries.

Babies born with microcephaly are at risk of abnormal brain development.

According to TTO