Zika outbreak: Infant death in Texas linked to virus

The baby girl, who died a few weeks ago, had microcephaly linked to Zika virus, said Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of HarrisCounty Public Health.

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Test results linking the death to Zika were confirmed Friday. Themother had travelled while pregnant to her native El Salvador andreturned to Harris County in her second trimester. Officials did notrelease her name.

Florida is the only U.S. state that has reported homegrown Zikatransmission by mosquitoes, in Miami-Dade County.

Last week, Texas officials announced that the state's Medicaidprogram would provide mosquito repellent to all expectant mothersand women between the ages of 10 and 45.

Harris County Judge EdEmmett doubted the efficiency of that program and said he would workwith local and state officials as well as corporate partners to getthe spray directly to residents.

Florida has four new cases of peoplelikely infected with Zika through mosquito bites in Miami,Gov. Rick Scott said on Tuesday, as he urged Congress toreconvene and approve additional money to combat the virus.

Babies' constricted limbs

In Thursday's issue of BMJ, Vanessa van der Linden of the Association forAssistance of Disabled Childrenand her co-authors described detailed brain and joint images of seven children with the joint conditioncalled arthrogryposis.

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But high-definition scans of thejoints showed no signs of joint issues.

The investigators suspect arthrogryposis doesn't result from abnormalitiesin the joints themselves but rather from motor neurons that control how musclescontract or relax becoming fixed in the womb, or from vascular disorders thataffect the arteries and veins.

They recommend orthopedic follow-up for affected children.