The first case of a pregnant woman contracting the Zika virus has been reported in Jalisco.
The woman, from Guadalajara, is under constant supervision and the fetus is developing normally, Antonio Cruces Mada, state Secretary of Health, told reporters.
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have concluded, after careful review of existing evidence, that the Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects.
Between October 2015 and January 2016, more than 4,180 cases of microcephaly were reported by Brazilian health authorities. In previous years, only about 150 cases of microcephaly were reported annually.
Microcephaly is a rare neurological condition in which an infant’s head is significantly smaller than the heads of other children of the same age and sex.