Growth and development of children with microcephaly associated with congenital Zika virus in Brazil
Children with Disabilities;Microcephaly;Zika virus;Child development;Global Health;Public health;Public Health Surveillance.
The infection caused by Zika virus (ZIKV) is usually described with a mild clinical picture. However, during the ZIKV outbreak in Latin America in the period 2015-2016, a sudden increase in the number of severe manifestations and cases of congenital abnormalities in newborns have been reported. This is the first study that evaluated and compared the growth and cognitive and motor development of children with Zinc Congenital Syndrome (SCZ) microcephaly in relation to typical children. An observational, analytical, cross-sectional study with 24 children from a region of northeastern Brazil. Children with SCZ presented a mean low in global motor and cognitive performance and growth deviation in head circumference and body weight measurements. Considering the mean values, typical children presented good global and cognitive motor performance and adequate anthropometric measures. Therefore, children with SCZ are at risk for growth retardation and development compared to typical children.