CDC reports 20-fold increase in birth defects associated with Zika

The proportion of U.S. pregnancies with Zika-associated birth defects is about 20 times higher than it was before the virus spread to the Americas, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between Jan. 15 and Sept. 22, 2016, the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry reported 26 infants and fetuses with Zika-associated birth defects among 442 completed pregnancies with laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection, or about 60 per 1,000 births. According to the report, the proportion of infants with the same types of birth defects in 2013-2014 was about three per 1,000, based on a retrospective study of surveillance data from Massachusetts, North Carolina and Atlanta. CDC continues to recommend that pregnant women not travel to areas with Zika. Pregnant women with possible exposure to Zika virus should be tested for Zika infection even if they do not have symptoms. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/zika or www.aha.org/zika.