Q: What is the lifespan of a child born with severe microcephaly, since they can have seizures, developmental problems, intellectual problems, feeding problems, hearing loss and vision problems?
—Kathy Piska, Marietta
A: The life expectancy of a person with microcephaly varies, depending on the issues associated with the condition.
“There is no proper data which can confirm the life expectancy of a patient with microcephaly,” states medicaltreasure.com, a medical website. “While there are some who die within first year of their birth, others even live (until) 35 or even longer.”
The Cleveland Clinic states on its website: “The life expectancy for children with microcephaly is reduced, and the prospects of attaining normal brain function is poor.”
Microcephaly is a condition “where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states.
The Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly, the CDC confirmed in April.
Babies born with microcephaly can have developmental problems and birth defects, the CDC states.
Q: Ship captains have to keep logs. What kind of things do they have to write in them on their voyages?
—Eddie Webster, Douglasville
A: Captains and boat owners can keep a variety of information in a ship's log, including their position (GPS coordinates), course, wind speed, weather conditions, distance traveled, repairs and other details.
Captains of larger ships will note who is in command or piloting the ship at various times.
Notes about the crew or passengers, including behavior, illnesses, marriages, births and deaths, also should be kept in the log.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; Emily Jenkins contributed. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
About the Author
