Zika risk for birth defects drops for each trimester, CDC finds stat : The Washington Post

U.S. health officials and public health experts have expressed particular concern about the underreporting of birth defects in Puerto Rico, in particular the island's use of a more narrow definition for reporting birth defects. Among women with confirmed Zika infection during the first trimester, 8 percent — nearly 1 in 12 — had a baby or fetus with Zika-related birth defects. "The bottom line is that there is no doubt that Zika infection during pregnancy, during any trimester, can lead to severe birth defects," she stressed during a media briefing. Overall, about 5 percent of women in the U.S. territories with a confirmed Zika infection during pregnancy had a baby or fetus with birth defects. (Lynne Sladky/AP)A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lays out for the first time the risk for Zika-related birth defects for each trimester of pregnancy.




The report, released on Thursday, reveals that about 5% of women in U.S. territories who had a confirmed Zika virus infection during their Pregnancy had a baby or fetus with Zika-related birth defects. The study authors report that among pregnant women with a Zika virus infection during their first trimester, nearly 1 in 12 had a baby or fetus with Zika-associated birth defects. Among the pregnancies, there were 120 that resulted in birth defects from Zika. View Sample SIGN UP NOW"This report highlights the threat of Zika virus infection in pregnancy, particularly the risk of damage to the baby's brain," said Peggy Honein, co-lead of the Pregnancy and Birth Defects Task Force for the CDC Zika Response in a statement. To reach these findings, the study authors looked at 2,549 women who had a possible Zika infection and completed their pregnancies.

Puerto Rico Declares Zika Outbreak Over, CDC Maintains Travel Warning

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, has not changed its travel advice, noting that pregnant women should not travel to Puerto Rico. On its website, the CDC cites public health reports saying that "mosquitoes in Puerto Rico are infected with Zika virus and are spreading it to people." CDC acting Director Dr. Anne Schuchat said in a statement that she is "pleased that the peak of the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico has come to a close." Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 6, 2016. The CDC said its travel notice for Puerto Rico remains in place and that it expects the virus will continue to "circulate indefinitely" in most regions where it has been introduced.


collected by :Lucy William
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