CDC unveils Zika guidance for infants, expands travel advisory
Lisa Schnirring
CIDRAP News
Jan 26, 2016
In the latest quickly evolving Zika virus developments, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released interim guidance to help doctors evaluate and test babies born with possible infections and added two more destinations to its travel advisory—US Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic.
Also, the CDC signaled that Zika virus infection is now a nationally notifiable condition, according to today’s new guidance and information covered during a CDC clinician’s call.
When to test newborns
The CDC released its interim Zika guidance targeting babies born in the United States in an early online edition of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
CDC experts addressed the document and other recently released guidance at a CDC Clinician Outreach and Community Activity (COCA) call today, during which officials said the agency is also developing specific guidance for the care of pregnant women in Zika transmission countries and territories.
Today’s document walks clinicians through what types of samples to collect and what type of tests to order. Congenital Zika virus infection is defined as the presence of Zika virus RNA or antigen in any of the samples collected.
Illinois health officials recently reported two imported Zika infections in pregnant women, a potential risk for birth defects, and US clinicians are likely to see more such cases, since the number of travel-linked cases is expected to grow, along with the threat of local spread in parts of the continental United States.
Zika testing is recommended for both the baby and the mother for babies born with microcephaly (small heads) or intracranial calcification to moms who may have been exposed to the virus. Ophthalmologic testing within 1 month is recommended for babies with possible infections due to reports of eye problems. Infants with positive or inconclusive tests should be evaluated for long-term complications, including a hearing test at 6 months, even if the initial hearing test was normal, the CDC said.
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