N.J. Baby Born With Zika Defects 3rd U.S. Case

The baby born to a 31-year-old woman from Honduras at Hackensack University Medical Center Tuesday is believed to be just the third infant delivered in the United States with microcephaly linked to the Zika virus, USA Today reported.

The CDC confirmed that a woman in Hawaii gave birth to a baby with severe microcephaly in February. USA Today reports another child was born with the disease in the south.

Tuesday's birth, which is the first baby born with Zika complications in the Tri-State area, gives rise to new fears about the spread of the disease.

Officials say the baby's mother became infected with the disease after she was bitten by a mosquito in Honduras early in her pregnancy. The hospital has confirmed that she was infected with the Zika virus.

The baby was born "uneventfully" at 3 p.m. by a cesarean section after an ultrasound Friday confirmed the baby's low birth weight and severe microcephaly, a condition that causes baby's heads to be smaller than. The condition can also lead to seizures, hearing loss, and severe mental disabilities.

The baby was also born with hearing and intestinal issues, the hospital said.

Doctors in Honduras first noticed complications with the child, but it was physicians at the hospital who confirmed the microcephaly diagnosis, according to Fox News. The patient's aunt told the news network that the woman is "not doing well emotionally" after the child's birth due to the diagnosis.

The disease has been linked to several kinds of birth defects, including microcephaly. A study by the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that Zika also causes women to have a higher chance of miscarriages and stillbirths.

There have been 16 confirmed cases of the Zika virus in New Jersey, including seven in Bergen County, the state Department of Health confirmed last week. The victims all contracted the disease while traveling abroad.

More on Zika in New Jersey:

• Zika Virus Is Bigger Threat To New Jersey Than You Think
• New Jersey Now 'Within Range' Of Mosquitoes With Zika Virus: CDC
• 7 Confirmed Cases Of Zika Virus In Bergen County: State Health Department