The Zika outbreak is becoming notorious as of late, with hundreds of new born babies being brought into the world with illnesses and severe birth defects. Now, a new report shows that a neuorological disorder on the rise as well due to the virus. Hit the jump for the full scoop.
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A rare neurological disorder is on the rise in several Latin American countries that are also seeing an outbreak of the Zika virus, according to the World Health Organization on Saturday.
The U.N. health body in Geneva said in a weekly report that Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) has been reported in Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Suriname and Venezuela. The disease is set to cause temporary paralysis. The disease is discovered to be more prominent now after many babies were being born with microcephaly – a rare condition where newborns and born with abnormally small heads.
The health agency stated:
“The cause of the increase in GBS incidence..remains unknown, especially as dengue, chikungunya and Zika virus have all been circulating simultaneously in the Americas.”
While “no scientific evidence to date confirms a link between Zika virus and microcephaly or GBS,” the agency also stated that GBS was observed during the 2013-2014 Zika virus outbreak in French Polynesia.
Brazil has been hit the hardest with the Zika outbreak, reporting 42 cases in just the state of Bahia and 26 of them in patients with a history of symptoms with Zika virus. Seven patients in Brazil presenting GBS symptoms were confirmed by laboratory tests to have a Zika virus infection, in November.
The WHO stated:
“In 2015, a 19 percent increase in GBS cases was reported in comparison to the previous year.”
GBS symptoms include muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis. In the most serious cases, the muscle weakness can affect breathing and patients could need a breathing tube.
The Zika virus is spread by mosquitoes and the current outbreak has affected 34 countries, including 26 countries in the Americas. Brazilian authorities have estimated up to 1.5 million cases of the Zika virus has occurred since the outbreak began.
