Four cases of the ‘brain shrinking’ Zika virus have been confirmed in Britain, health officials said.

Public Health England said that the four cases of the virus – feared to cause deformities and brain damage in unborn babies – had been identified in the past six weeks.

A Westminster committee was told that the four cases were ‘travel associated’ – and that none were believed to have been contracted in the UK.

The mosquito-borne disease linked to birth defects in babies is expected to affect up to 4million people, according to the World Health Organization.

In the past year Brazil has reported 3,893 cases of microcephaly – a condition which sees infants born with abnormally small heads.

Women in countries with an outbreak have been warned to avoid becoming pregnant – and pregnant women are advised to avoid travelling to infected areas.

There is currently no vaccine for Zika, and treatment focuses on pain relief and managing the symptoms.

The brain and nerve damage caused by the Zika virus in unborn babies might actually be worse and more widespread than people believe, experts have warned.

Experts investigating the virus suggest that it may cause other abnormalities in unborn children’s brains that are ‘not as obvious’ as microcephaly.

Pregnant women have already been warned not to travel to areas where the virus is spreading.

Dr Albert Ko of Yale University told the Washington Post, ‘It seems like microcephaly may just be the tip of the iceberg.

‘The preliminary evidence is that babies who don’t have microcephaly may also have neurological lesions or birth defects that are not as obvious as microcephaly.

‘We’re also seeing that in some babies, the brains, which usually have wrinkles, are actually smooth. That’s a sign that development of the brain has been impaired. Several of them are also impaired with respect to vision and hearing.

The mosquito-borne disease linked to birth defects in babies is expected to affect up to 4million people, according to the World Health Organization.

Source: The Metro