World-first Brazilian Zika twins celebrate turning one with bows in their hair, matching dresses and a cake topped with Minnie Mouse

  • Heloisa and Heloá Barbosa were born with microcelephy, which is linked to Zika
  • Mother Raquel Barbosa contracted the Zika during her pregnancy in 2015
  • The twin girls turned one year old on Friday and had a party on Easter Sunday
  • The girls are the only set of twins to both be born with microcelephy in Brazil 

By Kelly Mclaughlin For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Brazilian twins born with Zika syndrome celebrated their first birthday at a party on Easter Sunday.

Mother Raquel Barbosa contracted the Zika during her pregnancy, and her twins, Heloisa and Heloá, were born with microcephaly, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development, believed to be linked to the virus. 

Surrounded by pink and white balloons and a large cake topped with Minnie Mouse, the family posed for photos with the young girls, wearing dresses matching the color scheme, at the party in Areia, Brazil. 

The twin girls- the only twins in Brazil to both have microcephaly - turned one year old on Friday.

Mother Raquel Barbosa (left) contracted the Zika during her pregnancy, and her twins, Heloisa (second left) and Heloá (second right), were born with microcephaly, believed to be linked to the virus. The family is pictured above with the girls' grandmother, Maria Jose (right)

Mother Raquel Barbosa (left) contracted the Zika during her pregnancy, and her twins, Heloisa (second left) and Heloá (second right), were born with microcephaly, believed to be linked to the virus. The family is pictured above with the girls' grandmother, Maria Jose (right)

 Heloisa and Heloá both suffer from microcephaly, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development, believed to be linked Zika

 Heloisa and Heloá both suffer from microcephaly, a congenital condition associated with incomplete brain development, believed to be linked Zika

Barbosa (second right) and father Marcello (right) hold twins Heloisa and Heloá as family members celebrate the twins' birthday on Easter Sunday

Barbosa (second right) and father Marcello (right) hold twins Heloisa and Heloá as family members celebrate the twins' birthday on Easter Sunday

As many of the babies born with microcephaly approach or have turned one-year-old in the region, doctors and mothers are adapting and learning treatments to assist the children.

Microcephaly results in an abnormally small head in newborns and is associated with various disorders. 

Many with the condition suffer a plethora of difficulties including vision and hearing problems with doctors now labeling the overall condition as congenital Zika syndrome.

Authorities have recorded thousands of cases in Brazil in which the mosquito-borne Zika virus may have led to microcephaly in infants. 

Barbosa, 25, is the mother of the only twins known to have both been born with microcephaly in Brazil.

As of February, Heloisa and Heloá, were still on waiting lists for surgery to straighten their twisted feet.

Barbosa has struggled to provide the constant attention needed by both, and she often leaves one girl with her mother at her farm house which has no running water.

The twin girls turned one year old on Friday, and among the many party attendees on Sunday was their grandmother, Maria Jose (pictured)

The twin girls turned one year old on Friday, and among the many party attendees on Sunday was their grandmother, Maria Jose (pictured)

Barbosa has struggled to provide the constant attention needed by both, and she often leaves one girl with her mother at her farm house which has no running water

Barbosa has struggled to provide the constant attention needed by both, and she often leaves one girl with her mother at her farm house which has no running water

Barbosa receives 480 reais ($153.95, £122.84) a month in social welfare plus child disability benefit of 937 reais a month but that does not stretch far.

The local government provides transport for the one-hour trip from a suburb into Campina Grande for two free sessions of therapy a week.

But she says she cannot afford the 200 reais per month needed to buy medicines against convulsions, a problem for microcephalic children, and relies on donations for nappies and powdered milk.

'The local public health office would give them to us, but there are never in stock, so we have to buy them,' Barbosa said.

The doctor who first linked the Zika virus to birth defects says Brazil has too quickly forgotten the tragedy of 2,000 babies born with smaller-than-normal heads and runs the risk of a second wave of infections if the virus mutates.

More than a year after the initial epidemic, public health authorities are reporting very few cases of microcephaly among newborns, a development obstetrician Adriana Melo and other researchers attribute to likely immunity among those already infected by the virus.

Barbosa, 25, is the mother of the only twins known to have both been born with microcephaly in Brazil

Barbosa, 25, is the mother of the only twins known to have both been born with microcephaly in Brazil

Surrounded by pink and white balloons and a large cake, the family posed for photos with the young girls, wearing in matching dresses

Surrounded by pink and white balloons and a large cake, the family posed for photos with the young girls, wearing in matching dresses

Barbosa receives 480 reais ($153.95, £122.84) a month in social welfare plus child disability benefit of 937 reais a month but that does not stretch far. The girls' father, Marcelo is pictured above holding Heloá

Barbosa receives 480 reais ($153.95, £122.84) a month in social welfare plus child disability benefit of 937 reais a month but that does not stretch far. The girls' father, Marcelo is pictured above holding Heloá

'We will see sporadic cases, like any virus, but Zika is here to stay,' Mello told Reuters on Tuesday at her clinic for expectant mothers in northeastern Brazil, the region hardest hit by the initial wave of Zika in the Americas.

After an alarming jump in late 2015 in regional cases of microcephaly, Melo was the first scientist to ask federal researchers to test the amniotic fluid of an expectant mother whose fetus was showing brain problems, providing the first empirical link between the complication and the virus. Microcephaly often signifies arrested brain development.

Zika, a viral disease carried by mosquitoes, has spread to more than 60 countries and territories since the outbreak was identified in Brazil in 2015, raising alarm over its ability to cause microcephaly as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome.

The World Health Organization said this month that Brazil and Latin America are recording lower numbers of infections than last year, but that all countries must remain vigilant.

Because at least 1.5 million Brazilians are believed to have already been infected by Zika, which often does not cause symptoms, scientists believe parts of Brazil may have already reached so-called 'herd immunity,' limiting further infection until the human population regenerates or the virus mutates to outmaneuver that immunity.

As of February, Heloisa (left) and Heloá (right), were still on waiting lists for surgery to straighten their twisted feet.

As of February, Heloisa (left) and Heloá (right), were still on waiting lists for surgery to straighten their twisted feet.

The twins' mother, Barbosa, contracted the Zika during her pregnancy in 2015. She gave birth to the twins in April 2016

The twins' mother, Barbosa, contracted the Zika during her pregnancy in 2015. She gave birth to the twins in April 2016

In the United States, Texas health officials are expanding testing recommendations for pregnant women in South Texas as the advent of warm weather increases the risk for local transmission of the mosquito-borne Zika. 

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) earlier this month recommended testing of all pregnant residents of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Webb, Willacy and Zapata counties in both the first and second trimesters of pregnancy.

It is also urging testing for any resident who has a rash plus at least one other common Zika symptom: fever, joint pain or eye redness.

For the rest of the state, Texas is recommending testing for anyone with at least three of those four Zika symptoms and all pregnant women who have traveled to areas with ongoing Zika transmission, including travel to any part of Mexico. 

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which also can be transmitted sexually. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, making it difficult for individuals to know whether they have been infected. 

THE ZIKA VIRUS: EXPLAINED 

HOW DO PEOPLE GET IT? 

MOSQUITO BITES

Zika is transmitted to people through the bite of infected female mosquitoes, primarily the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

It is the same type that spreads dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever. 

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are found in all countries in the Americas except Canada and continental Chile.

Zika will likely reach all countries and territories of the region where Aedes mosquitoes are found. 

SEX

The virus can also be transmitted through sex, from either a male or female partner who has been infected.

BLOOD TRANSFUSION

A few cases of apparent infection via blood transfusion have been reported.

PREGNANCY

A mother can pass the virus to her unborn fetus. 

Current research indicates the greatest microcephaly risk is associated with infection during the first trimester of pregnancy, but health officials have warned an impact could be seen in later weeks. 

Recent studies have shown evidence of Zika in amniotic fluid, placenta and fetal brain tissue.

HOW DO YOU TREAT ZIKA? 

There is no treatment or vaccine for Zika infection. 

Companies and scientists are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine for Zika.

However, a preventative shot is not expected to be ready for widespread use for at least two or three years.

WHAT ARE THE DANGERS? 

BIRTH DEFECTS

Microcephaly

The CDC concluded that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly.

Microcephaly is a condition defined by unusually small heads that can result in developmental problems, and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. 

The CDC said that since the causal relationship had been established, several important questions must still be answered with studies that could take years.

The World Health Organization in an updated assessment said the 'most likely explanation' is that Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of congenital brain abnormalities including microcephaly. 

Brazil recently reported 1,949 confirmed cases of microcephaly believed to be linked to Zika infections in pregnant women. 

It is investigating more than 3,030 suspected cases of microcephaly. 

Guillain-Barre syndrome 

The WHO also updated its guidelines to say the infection is a trigger of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis.

Its previous statement, based on a rapid assessment of evidence, said there was strong scientific consensus that Zika virus caused GBS, microcephaly and other neurological disorders.  

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? 

People infected with Zika may have a mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain and fatigue that can last for two to seven days. 

But as many as 80 per cent of people infected never develop symptoms.

HOW CAN ZIKA BE CONTAINED? 

Efforts to control the spread of the virus focus on eliminating mosquito breeding sites and taking precautions against mosquito bites such as using insect repellent and mosquito nets. 

U.S. and international health officials have advised pregnant women to avoid travel to Latin American and Caribbean countries, and Singapore where they may be exposed to Zika.

They are also advising that men and women who have traveled to Zika outbreak areas use condoms or abstain from sex for six months to prevent sexual transmission of the virus.

HOW WIDESPREAD IS THE OUTBREAK? 

Active Zika outbreaks have been reported in at least 59 countries or territories, most of them in the Americas, according to the CDC. Brazil has been the country most affected. 

Africa: 1 country

Cape Verde 

Americas: 49 countries

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saba, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelmy, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, U.S. Virgin Islands, Venezuela.

Asia: 1 country

Singapore

Oceania/Pacific Islands: 8 countries 

American Samoa, Fiji, Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga.

HISTORY OF ZIKA 

The Zika virus is found in tropical locales with large mosquito populations. 

Outbreaks of Zika have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia and the Western Pacific. 

The virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys and was first identified in people in 1952 in Uganda and Tanzania, according to the WHO.

ANY OTHER ZIKA-RELATED COMPLICATIONS? 

Zika has also been associated with other neurological disorders, including serious brain and spinal cord infections. 

The long-term health consequences of Zika infection are unclear. 

Other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and how Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue.

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