iStock/Thinkstock(ATLANTA) — A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday evening provides the most comprehensive look to date at the ways in which the Zika virus is affecting women infected during pregnancy who delivered in the United States.
Out of a study of 446 pregnant women infected with Zika, about 6 percent of all completed pregnancies had babies or fetuses with birth defects potentially linked to the virus, consistent with previous modeling estimates. That number jumps to 11 percent when only including women who were infected in their first trimesters.
The birth defects linked to Zika include brain abnormalities with or without microcephaly (smaller than average heads) and serious nervous system deficits.
“The findings in this report emphasize the need for pregnant women to avoid travel to areas with active Zika virus transmission and consistently and correctly use condoms to prevent sexual transmission throughout pregnancy if their partner has recently traveled to an area of active Zika virus transmission,” the study concluded.
The most common symptoms of Zika virus infection are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, but the study noted that many people experience no symptoms at all. Women were found to be just as likely to have children with birth defects whether or not they experienced symptoms during their pregnancies.
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