Table of Contents
What is a microcephalic person?
Microcephaly is a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly.
How long can a person with microcephaly live?
There is no standard life expectancy for microcephalic babies because outcomes depend on so many factors, and the severity of the condition can range from mild to severe. Babies with mild microcephaly may still meet the same milestones like speaking, sitting and walking as a child without the disorder.
Can people with microcephaly be normal?
Microcephaly in children is a rare and genetic condition. Some children with microcephaly are both with normal intelligence and have normal developmental milestones, but their heads will always be smaller than normal children for their age and sex. Even in such cases, a regular follow-up with the doctor is advised.
Does microcephaly shorten life?
The prognosis for a child who has microcephaly depends on the other medical conditions the child has. In general, life expectancy for children who have microcephaly is reduced, and the prospects of attaining normal brain function is poor.
What do you need to know about microcephaly?
Microcephaly is a rare neurological condition in which a person’s head is significantly smaller than expected based on standardized charts.
How is microcephaly related to the Zika virus?
Many, if not most, cases if Zika microcephaly will be very severe, possibly requiring lifelong intensive care. Microcephaly is a medical condition in which the circumference of the head is smaller than normal because the brain has not developed properly or has stopped growing.
How many babies have been born with microcephaly in Brazil?
Officials in Brazil are concerned since almost 4,000 babies (very unusually high number as compared to similar time periods in which only about 150 babies were diagnosed with microcephaly) have been born with microcephaly since May 2015.
Are there copyright restrictions on pictures of babies with microcephaly?
Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly. The images are in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions.