Two live-born infants with Zika virus–related birth defects were reported the week ending Aug. 4, 2016, bringing the U.S. total to 17, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
One of the two infants was born in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and the other was the first live-born infant with Zika-related birth defects born in the U.S. territories. State- or territorial-level data are not being reported to protect the privacy of affected women and children, the CDC said.
There were no new pregnancy losses among Zika-infected women in the territories, keeping the total at one for the year, but the CDC seems to have adjusted the number of pregnancy losses for the states and D.C., as the most recent total for the year is now five, after six were reported the previous week.
A total of 59 new cases of Zika infection in pregnant women were reported for the week ending Aug. 4: 31 new cases in the states/D.C. and 28 in the territories. For the year, there have been 510 cases of pregnant women with laboratory evidence of Zika infection in the states/D.C. and 521 in the territories, for a U.S. total of 1,031, the CDC reported.
The figures for states, territories, and D.C. reflect reporting to the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry; data for Puerto Rico are reported to the U.S. Zika Active Pregnancy Surveillance System.
Zika virus–related birth defects recorded by the CDC could include microcephaly, calcium deposits in the brain indicating possible brain damage, excess fluid in the brain cavities and surrounding the brain, absent or poorly formed brain structures, abnormal eye development, or other problems resulting from brain damage that affect nerves, muscles, and bones. The pregnancy losses encompass any miscarriage, stillbirth, and termination with evidence of birth defects.