CDC reports 5% birth defect rate in women with Zika in U.S. territories

About one in 20 women in the U.S. territories who were infected with the Zika virus during pregnancy had a baby or fetus with associated birth defects, consistent with earlier findings from primarily travel-associated infections in the states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported yesterday. The birth defect rate in the territories ranged from 8% for women infected in the first trimester to 4% for women infected in the third trimester. “As these latest findings illustrate, Zika virus poses a serious threat to pregnant women and their babies, regardless of when the infection occurs during the pregnancy,” said CDC Acting Director Anne Schuchat, M.D. “Women in the U.S. territories and elsewhere who have continued exposure to mosquitoes carrying Zika are at risk of infection. We must remain vigilant and committed to preventing new Zika infections.”