CDC’s “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report”: Vital Signs: Zika-Associated Birth Defects and Neurodevelopmental Abnormalities Possibly Associated with Congenital Zika Virus Infection — U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States, 2018
Marion E. Rice, ORISE fellow in the Division of Congenital and Developmental Disorders at the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the CDC, and colleagues discuss the impact of Zika virus infection during pregnancy on birth outcomes. The authors write, “Zika virus infection during pregnancy causes serious birth defects and might be associated with neurodevelopmental abnormalities in children. Early identification of and intervention for neurodevelopmental problems can improve cognitive, social, and behavioral functioning. … Careful monitoring and evaluation of children born to mothers with evidence of Zika virus infection during pregnancy is essential for ensuring early detection of possible disabilities and early referral to intervention services” (8/7).