Heartbroken mother mourns her child's fate: Second Zika-affected child born in the US

'The mother is stable, obviously sad, which is the normal emotional reaction given the situation.'

While most mothers greet their newborns with excited fascination and a heart full of love, one woman's heart broke as she held the child she knew would suffer the rest of its life.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - For the second time, a Zika virus-infected woman gave birth to a child suffering the effects of the disease.

The mother gave birth in a New Jersey hospital on Tuesday. Her daughter was delivered via caesarean section close to full-term. The woman's doctor, Dr. Abdulla Al-Khan, is the director of maternal and fetal medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center, and he explained the unnamed woman's situation.

According to CNN, Dr. Al-Khan explained, "The mother is stable, obviously sad, which is the normal emotional reaction given the situation."

He described how the woman traveled from Honduras to visit family in the United States and seek better medical care just in case her unborn child was affected by the Zika virus.

Following a series of tests, she was discovered to have the virus and the first examination and ultrasound revealed her child had "significant microcephaly."

Dr. Al-Khan also noticed the baby had calcification and dilated ventricles in its brain. Other tests were conducted to ensure there was nothing else wrong with the fragile little life, but Dr. Al-Khan simply stated: "When I saw her today, I was pretty much convinced this was a Zika-affected baby."

During the second trimester of her pregnancy, the 31-year-old mother experienced a fever and rash, both of which are symptoms of the Zika virus.

Dr. Al-Khan reported, "When she developed the symptoms, she was seen by an OBGYN who suspected the baby was growth restricted."

When it was finally time to deliver the child, Dr. Al-Khan explained it was a bit premature. "There were a few reasons the baby needed to be delivered today, including low amniotic fluid," he described.

Fox News reported the mother has been emotionally unwell following the birth but there is currently no more information available about either mother or child.

According to the CDC, which remains updated on Zika information including symptoms, treatment and prevention, the best way to combat the disease is by avoiding mosquito bites.

There is currently no vaccine and no cure for Zika and the disease is known to be spread sexually. Wearing long-sleeved shirts, using mosquito repellent and remaining abstinent in areas infected with Zika - or avoiding sexual contact with people who recently traveled from Zika-infected regions - are the best ways to avoid the virus.

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