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HEALTH

First baby in Europe with Zika defects born in Spain

A baby has been born in Spain with Zika-caused microcephaly, the first to be born in Europe with the condition.

First baby in Europe with Zika defects born in Spain
The Zika virus is spread by mosquitos. Photo: Yuri Cortez/AFP
The child was born by caesarean section at the Vall D’Hebron hospital in Barcelona.
 
The hospital’s chief neonatal physician Felix Castillo confirmed that the baby had been born with a small head circumference, a typical symptom of the Zika virus.
 
The pregnancy had gone to term, the hospital confirmed.
 
The baby, which was born by Caesarean section at the end of pregnancy, “is stable and has not required any specific resuscitation,” Castillo stated. Obstetrician Elena Carreras said that the mother “had been accompanied by the father the whole time, and they are very excited and happy.”
 
This is Spain's first case of Zika-related microcephaly, a severe form of brain damage where babies are born with abnormally small heads. The mother had been infected with Zika and dengue during a trip to Latin America.
 
It is the first known case of its kind in Europe in a baby that has gone to term. Traces of Zika were found in the brain of an aborted foetus in Slovenia that had severe microcephaly.
 
“The anomalies were identified between the 19th and 20th weeks of pregnancy,” a Catalonia health official told reporters in June, confirming that the foetus had shown “several anomalies, including microcephaly”.
 
Authorities declined to identify the woman in order to protect her privacy, but local media said she had decided against an abortion.
   
“These symptoms cause serious difficulties, but do not usually lead to the death of the foetus,” said gynaecologist Elena Carreras.
 
A total of 105 people in Spain have been infected with the mosquito-borne Zika virus, according to official statistics from May 3.
 
Spanish authorities have said all the infection cases – including 13 pregnant women – are “imported cases” found in people either “from, or who have visited affected countries” in Latin America.
 
More than a fifth of foreign residents in Spain are of Latin American or Caribbean origin, the area hit by the epidemic.
 
The current Zika outbreak began in early 2015 in Brazil, where some 1.5 million infections have been reported. Since then, the epidemic has spread to several other countries in the Americas.
 
Scientists believe the virus to be responsible for a surge in Brazilian infants born with microcephaly.
 
There is no vaccine or treatment for the virus, which in most people causes only mild symptoms — a rash, joint pain or fever.
 
Despite a flurry of research, very little is known about Zika, including the full list of diseases and disorders it may cause.
 
Recent scientific consensus is that the virus causes microcephaly in babies and adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause paralysis and death.

HEALTH

Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

Danish Minister for the Interior and Health Sophie Løhde has warned that, despite increasing activity at hospitals, it will be some time before current waiting lists are reduced.

Lengthy waiting times at Danish hospitals not going away yet: minister

The message comes as Løhde was set to meet with officials from regional health authorities on Wednesday to discuss the progress of an acute plan for the Danish health system, launched at the end of last year in an effort to reduce a backlog of waiting times which built up during the coronavirus crisis.

An agreement with regional health authorities on an “acute” spending plan to address the most serious challenges faced by the health services agreed in February, providing 2 billion kroner by the end of 2024.

READ ALSO: What exactly is wrong with the Danish health system?

The national organisation for the health authorities, Danske Regioner, said to newspaper Jyllands-Posten earlier this week that progress on clearing the waiting lists was ahead of schedule.

Some 245,300 operations were completed in the first quarter of this year, 10 percent more than in the same period in 2022 and over the agreed number.

Løhde said that the figures show measures from the acute plan are “beginning to work”.

“It’s positive but even though it suggests that the trend is going the right way, we’re far from our goal and it’s important to keep it up so that we get there,” she said.

“I certainly won’t be satisfied until waiting times are brought down,” she said.

“As long as we are in the process of doing postponed operations, we will unfortunately continue to see a further increase [in waiting times],” Løhde said.

“That’s why it’s crucial that we retain a high activity this year and in 2024,” she added.

Although the government set aside 2 billion kroner in total for the plan, the regional authorities expect the portion of that to be spent in 2023 to run out by the end of the summer. They have therefore asked for some of the 2024 spending to be brought forward.

Løhde is so far reluctant to meet that request according to Jyllands-Posten.

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