TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Health officials in Honduras say a 29-year-old pregnant woman showing symptoms of the Zika virus has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder that causes paralysis.
Honduran authorities say it could be the first case in the Central American nation with both conditions.
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University Hospital spokesman Miguel Osorio says officials are waiting for laboratory tests in the United States to determine whether the woman has been infected by Zika, which is carried by mosquitoes and has been spreading rapidly in Latin America.
Regional officials fear the Zika outbreak could be linked to increases in reported cases of Guillain-Barre and of microcephaly, a rare birth defect that causes unusually small heads and brain damage in infants. The World Health Organization is investigating to determine whether there is a link.