Photo via iStockAmid continued investigations of a possible link between the Zika virus and microcephaly, a birth defect causing a baby’s head and brain to be smaller than expected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking the number of pregnant women who’ve been infected with the mosiquito-borne virus. The CDC has released new data reporting that more than 270 pregnant women in U.S. states and territories have laboratory evidence of a possible Zika infection.
As of May 12, the US Zika Pregnancy Registry lists 157 pregnant women among U.S. states and D.C., as well as 122 expecting moms in places like Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. The CDC created the registry to help healthcare professionals who work with pregnant women and organizers who plan awareness events across the country.
In December, Puerto Rico became the first U.S. jurisdiction to report local transmission of Zika virus. Up until that point, U.S. residents only became infected when traveling abroad. The Puerto Rico Health Department has reported more than 700 confirmed cases of the virus.
The D.C. Department of Health confirms four cases in which District residents have been infected with Zika—at least one of whom was a pregnant woman. In each case, the person contracted the virus during travels outside of the U.S. Last Saturday, D.C. hosted its first of two citywide prevention events—the department of health handed out kits including bug spray, mosquito dunks, condoms, and more. The next event is slated for July 16.
Margaret Honein of the CDC told PBS that only two studies have addressed how many infants who are exposed to Zika will have good or bad outcomes, and “their results vary dramatically.” One report from Rio de Janeiro found that 29 percent of pregnancies hit by Zika showed abnormalities, while an examination of French Polynesia’s 2013-2015 outbreak puts the microcephaly rate closer to one percent.
The CDC will continue to release public updates to the registry every Thursday.
