CDC issues updated Zika recommendations for providers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released updated guidance for health care providers caring for pregnant women with possible exposure to Zika virus. Specifically, the guidance extends to 14 days the timeframe for testing the blood of pregnant women for Zika particles. Previous guidance had set the timeframe at one week; however, new evidence has found that Zika virus can be present in the blood for longer after symptoms begin, and that even pregnant women without symptoms can have evidence of the virus in their blood and urine. In addition, CDC released updated interim guidance for the prevention of sexually transmitted Zika virus based on the recent finding of female-to-male transmission of the virus in New York City. CDC continues to update its guidance, and AHA will continue to share information with the field as it becomes available. For the latest, visit http://www.cdc.gov/zika/index.html or http://www.aha.org/zika.