Vietnam reports first microcephaly birth potentially linked to Zika
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A woman looks at a Center for Disease Control (CDC) health advisory sign about the dangers of the Zika virus as she lines up for a security screening at Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, U.S., May 23, 2016. (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)
Vietnam has reported its first case of microcephaly likely linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
The 4-month-old girl with an abnormally small head was born in central Vietnam to a mother confirmed to have had the virus when she was pregnant.
The Ministry of Health's General Department of Preventive Medicine said on its website Sunday that the case had a "high probability of being linked to Zika virus and also the first in Vietnam."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If confirmed, Vietnam would be the second country in Southeast Asia after Thailand to have microcephaly case linked to Zika.
The virus generally causes a mild flu-like illness, but a major outbreak in Brazil last year revealed that it can result in severe birth defects when pregnant women are infected.