News from the FDA/CDC
CDC reports two new Zika-related pregnancy losses
Since the beginning of 2016, there have been 7 pregnancy losses and 54 infants with birth defects born to Zika-infected women.
Almost 200 cases of pregnant women with Zika virus infection were reported in the United States during the 2 weeks ending March 28, with the number split evenly between the territories and the 50 states and Washington, D.C., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These latest 197 cases – 98 in the territories and 99 in the states/D.C. – bring the U.S. total since the beginning of 2016 to 5,177 pregnant women with laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection: 3,461 in the U.S. territories and 1,716 in the states/D.C., the CDC reported on April 6.
Since Jan. 1, 2015, a total of 41,701 cases of Zika virus infection have been reported among all Americans: 5,197 in the states/D.C. and 36,504 in the territories. Almost all of the territorial cases (97%) have occurred in Puerto Rico, while Florida (21%), New York (20%), and California (9%) together have accounted for half of the cases in the states/D.C., the CDC said.
These are not real-time data and reflect only pregnancy outcomes for women with any laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection, although it is not known if Zika virus was the cause of the poor outcomes. Zika-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, or termination with evidence of birth defects.
