New Symptoms Of Zika Discovered, Causing Deformation On Newborns' Limbs

When doctors said that microcephaly is only the tip of the ice berg as far as the fight against Zika is concerned, they were right. Just recently, it was discovered that the viral disease may cause deformities to the arms and legs of newborn babies.

Brazil researchers suggest link between #Zika and #arthrogryposis in newborns https://t.co/fTyjKpITPh #pregnancy pic.twitter.com/nXva6Hhiqa

— Microbes&Infection (@MicrobesInfect) August 11, 2016

How Zika could cause these deformities, the researchers don't have an answer, however, CBS News noted that the problems could lie in the nerve cells that control movement that caused babies to stay in fixed positions in the womb. The condition, which is called arthrogryposis, can cause multiple joints to contract or curve. When the number of babies with this condition started increasing, they were not linked to Zika, but further research showed that they too have abnormalities on their brain scans that is expected with congenital Zika syndrome, said Dr. Vanessa van der Linden, the lead author of the study.

These children had their joins scanned, as well as their surrounding tissues. No abnormalities were found. However, researchers also had to do brain scans, which showed that all of these children had signs of calcification in their brain, leading to the theory that the virus kills brain cells and forms scar-like lesions in the brain, where the calcium is deposited.

These findings emerged on Tuesday, just hours before Florida reported another person to have contracted the virus, bringing the total number of infections to 22. First detected in Brazil last year, Zika, a mosquito-borne disease has been linked to over 1,700 cases of microcephaly. However, despite the fact that microcephaly is the most-widely discussed condition in connection to the disease, The Daily Mail noted that not all Zika babies are born with shrunken heads - although many still suffer less obvious motor neuron impairments or brain disorders.

The outlook for the children with arthrohgyroposis is not positive. Dr. Arielle Hay of the Nicklaus Children's hospital in Miami shared, "these kids need lifelong follow-up, there is no definitive treatment, unfortunately."