MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – Two newborns born with Zika-related microcephaly have died in Panama, the country’s health authorities report.
Panama reported four cases of babies born with microcephaly in public hospitals in the capital on Thursday, two of them have died, according to a health ministry official cited by La Prensa on Thursday.
The babies’ mothers, infected with Zika, all come from the Guna Yala province in northeast Panama, which is governed by the indigenous Guna people.
The Zika virus is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitoes. It does not cause serious complications in adults but is suspected to cause severe brain defects and microcephaly in newborns.
The current Zika outbreak originated in Brazil in the spring of 2015. According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, over 60 countries and territories have been affected by the virus.
