Honduras detects 8 cases of babies with Zika-related defect

TEGUCIGALPA – Health officials in the Central American nation of Honduras on Tuesday reported eight cases of newborns with microcephaly born to women who were infected with the Zika virus during pregnancy.

Honduran Health Minister Yolani Batres told reporters six of the cases of microcephaly were in the south of Honduras, one near the border with El Salvador and two more in the capital. Two other cases had been previously reported in Honduras.

Honduras has reported almost 28,000 Zika infections, including 493 pregnant women.

U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.

The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.

The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.