ACOG, SMFM issue updated guidance on Zika

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) have released updated guidelines for clinicians caring for women of reproductive age amidst the Zika virus outbreak. The Practice Advisory, issued on February 12, replaces guidance in a similar document that was released on January 21.

Related: CDC guidelines for Zika virus

The advice to clinicians takes into consideration interim guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on February 5. Regardless of whether a pregnant woman has clinical symptoms of Zika infection, if she has traveled to or lives in an endemic area, CDC, ACOG and SMFM now recommend that she undergo antibody testing. The organizations also are encouraging clinicians to provide counseling to women of reproductive age around the Zika virus that takes into consideration plans for pregnancy, including intentions and timing. Nonpregnant women who had or have had a confirmed infection with Zika virus should be reassured that there is no evidence that the infection increases risk of birth defects in subsequent pregnancies.

The complete practice advisory, including clinical algorithms for patient management and links to other resources on Zika infection, can be found at http://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/Practice-Advisories/Practice-Advisory-Interim-Guidance-for-Care-of-Obstetric-Patients-During-a-Zika-Virus-Outbreak. For perspective from Editor-in-Chief Charles J. Lockwood, visit http://contemporaryobgyn.modernmedicine.com/contemporary-obgyn/news/zika-virus-and-microcephaly