Rio De Janeiro, Jan 21 (IANS): Five more babies have died in Brazil due to the Zika virus, the government announced on Wednesday.

According to the latest report by the country's health ministry, the five deaths happened in northeastern Brazil, the worst region hit by Zika, reports Xinhua.

Till date, Brazil has registered 3,893 cases of microcephaly, suspected of being caused by Zika. Among these cases, 224 have been confirmed related to the virus, while the others are still under investigation.

Scientists in Brazil have recently confirmed that Zika does manage to infect fetuses through the placenta and put baby's life at risk, leaving afflictions like mental retardation, cerebral palsy, blindness and hearing loss.

Spreading from Africa to Latin America in March 2014, the virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and could lead to microcephaly, a neurological disorder in which infants are born with smaller craniums and brains.