Brazilian mothers of children born with microcephaly due to Zika virus infection are struggling along a painful road to help their children recover.
The northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco is one of the areas hardest-hit by the Zika outbreak in Brazil. It had reported 1,501 microcephaly cases related to Zika infection as of Feb. 12, accounting for around 30 percent of the total cases reported nationwide.
A rehabilitation center on the outskirts of the state's capital Recife receives dozens of infected babies who are brought by their parents for weekly health examinations.
Rosilene Ferreira de Mesquita, whose child was confirmed as having contracted microcephaly during her pregnancy, said it is hard for a mother to accept this reality.
"I was so sad to find out that he had microcephaly because we had been expecting a healthy baby and never thought he could be born with such an illness. I am truly scared but the only thing I can do is to get used to it gradually," said Mesquita.
Her four-month-old son Altur has been suffering microcephaly symptoms since his birth, a situation his parents called torturous.
"He cries a lot and looks ill. He doesn't sleep well and it is difficult to feed him. We are so worried. It really bothers you when your baby doesn't eat well," said Mesquita.
To take care of Altur, Mesquita had to quit her job and over the past four months she has been running between hospitals for various health examinations for her son.
"It's impossible for me to find a job because I have to take him to hospital. I have to do this because if you do nothing the doctors will say look, Altur's mother does not take care of him, she's not taking him to a hospital. And my baby could be taken away to the welfare home for children because of this," said Mesquita.
The distressed mothers crowded into the rehabilitation center have all experienced similar misfortune. However, they have not given up hope.
"My biggest hope is that our child can recover and grow up better than we expect in the future. [We hope] he will be able to speak, walk, read, write, study and lead a healthy life just like other children," said Germana Soares Amorim do Nascimento, a mother of an infected baby.
Microcephaly symptoms include substandard head circumference, neurodevelopmental disorder and abnormal growth of brain.
Zika virus is one of the causes of the disease. More on:
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