THE OBSTETRICS department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital has been put on standby in the cases of three pregnant women who have tested positive for the Zika virus which has been linked to a serious birth defect in Brazil, a health official said.
However, Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George maintained that there was a low risk of the risk of the babies developing microcephaly, which is characterised by an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development at times.
“The risk remains small,” he said. “The obstetrics department, through their neonatal unit, has been put on standby and they have put forward a framework for dealing with any eventuality.”
The three women had been counselled, he revealed, and were receiving the appropriate care at the hospital. (MB)
Please read the full story in today’s Sunday Sun, or in the eNATION edition.
