PREGNANT WOMEN GIVE BIRTH TO ZIKA INFECTED BABIES

The CDC said it was not providing details about where the births occurred to protect the privacy of the women and children affected by the virus but said it is the first time the agency has provided a total number of Zika-related birth defects since onset of the virus in the US.

According to the agency, the problems include a rare and severe birth defect known as microcephaly, which is characterized by abnormally small heads and often underdeveloped brains, as well as an array of other fetal abnormalities.

Other complications include calcium deposits in the brain indicating possible brain damage; excess fluid in the brain cavities and surrounding the brain; missing or poorly formed brain structures; abnormal eye development; and other problems resulting from damage to the brain that affects nerves, muscles and bones, such as clubfoot or inflexible joints, officials said.

The problems are consistent with the damage caused by Zika virus infections reported in other countries with Zika outbreaks, including Brazil and Colombia.

The agency said it is monitoring 234 pregnant women with Zika in the US mainland who contracted the virus through travel or an infected partner; another 189 are being monitored in Puerto Rico and other US territories.
The virus is widespread in Puerto Rico with officials expecting that about 20 percent of the island’s 3.5 million residents could become infected. In the coming weeks, the CDC will begin reporting Zika-linked pregnancy outcomes in the US territories.

In February, the CDC detailed what happened to nine pregnant women in the United States who had been infected with Zika. Two of those women chose to have abortions; two others suffered miscarriages; one gave birth to an infant with serious birth defects; and two others delivered healthy infants. At the time, two were still pregnant. Officials said the outcomes reported in February did not necessarily have birth defects.

Last month, the CDC announced it was monitoring about 300 pregnant women with possible Zika infection but declined to provide details about the pregnancy outcomes. Since then, the agency has received many requests for that information from federal, state and local health officials, as well as from health-care providers, pregnant women and their families.