Nicaragua confirms first microcephaly birth linked to Zika virus

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen inside Oxitec laboratory in Campinas, Brazil. (Copyright Reuters 2016)

MANAGUA – Nicaragua has confirmed its first case of a baby born with microcephaly linked to the Zika virus, authorities said on Friday.

"The girl was born very underweight, at less than four pounds (1.81 kg) and with confirmed microcephaly," said Rosario Murillo, government spokeswoman and the country's first lady.

The mosquito-borne Zika virus was first detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects such as microcephaly. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.