Baby is the First to Pass Away from Zika-linked Birth Defect in Texas

Zika is on everyone's minds and unfortunately, we have our first child death right here in Texas. 

Texas officials reported today that a mother lost her baby due to a Zika-related birth defect. The mother had traveled to Latin America during her pregnancy and lost her baby shortly after it was born in Houston. The baby had something called microcephaly,  a condition in which a baby's head is abnormally small and, in most cases, brain development is incomplete.

This is the first Zika-related death in Texas. “Zika’s impact on unborn babies can be tragic, and our hearts are with this family,” said John Hellerstedt, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. “Our central mission from the beginning has been to do everything we can to protect unborn babies from the devastating effects of Zika.”