CDC Report
Places Risk Of Zika Birth Abnormalities At 1 In 7 Children Whose
Mothers Were Infected
Result Is Likely
An Underestimate
The latest CDC report from the US Zika Pregnancy and
Infant Registry estimates the risk of children having a Zika-associated
birth defect, a neurodevelopmental abnormality possibly associated
with congenital Zika infection, or both at 14% or 1 in 7 children.
More specifically, 6% of children had a Zika-associated birth defect,
9% had one or more neurodevelopmental abnormality possibly associated
with congential Zika virus infection, and 1% had both.
Underestimate
This estimate comes from follow-up of a group of 1,450
children aged one year or older born to mothers with laboratory
evidence of confirmed or possible Zika virus infection during
pregnancy. Since only 68% of the children had some follow-up care, not
all children had all of the recommended evaluations, and the full
spectrum of possible defects is not yet known, it is likely that
these estimates are lower than the true number of negative outcomes.
Follow Up
Careful monitoring is considered important for these
children since early detection of problems can result in early
referral for interventions that can be beneficial especially in the
first three years of life.
Transmission
Down
Transmission of Zika virus is much lower in the
Americas in 2018 than it was at the height of the outbreak in 2016 and
later in 2017. Since 2015, CDC has registered a total of 5,716 cases
in the United States, most of them (5,430) in travelers returning from
affected areas. In the US Territories, CDC has recorded 37,262 cases,
most of these (37,115) acquired locally through mosquito transmission.
Cases have fallen dramatically in 2017 and 2018. There have been only
34 cases in the US and 74 cases reported in the territories so far
this year. Zika is still a threat internationally and travelers should
inquire to learn if they are going to a risk area.
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