CDC Pregnancy Registry documents Zika in pregnancy, infants

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is collaborating with health departments and officials around the country to create the US Zika Pregnancy Registry, a vehicle to collect and analyze information about pregnancy and infant outcomes following laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection during pregnancy.

The Registry is based on similar tools developed and used in Puerto Rico to track Zika and its impact on pregnant women and their children. It is open to pregnant women in the United States, territories, and freely-associated states. The women may be symptomatic or asymptomatic, but they must have positive or equivocal test results for Zika virus infection and infants who have been periconceptionally, prenatally or perinatally exposed to the virus. The Registry is also open to infants with laboratory evidence of congenital Zika infection, either symptomatic or asymptomatic, and their mothers.

Healthcare providers can play an active role in the Pregnancy Registry by collecting pertinent clinical information from pregnant patients and reporting that information to the state, tribal, local or territorial health offices or to the CDC.

·       Identify pregnant women who may have been exposed to Zika virus. Ask about travel to infected areas or sexual contact with a man who lives in or who has traveled to infected areas. For patients with a positive history, arrange laboratory testing for Zika virus infection.

·       Use the Pregnancy and Zika Virus Disease Surveillance forms from the Pregnancy Registry to report to appropriate health authorities about women who display laboratory evidence of Zika virus or infants with laboratory evidence of congenital Zika virus infection.

·       Collect follow-up information about the women, their pregnancies and the infants. Include information on any infants who appear to be healthy at birth because short- and long-term effects of in utero Zika exposure are part of the study.

·       Notify the health department or the Registry of any adverse events such as spontaneous abortion, fetal death, or the presence of birth defects.

According to the standards of the US Zika Pregnancy Registry, laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection includes:

·       Detection of recent Zika virus infection by ZIKA RNA nucleic acid test (NAT) on any maternal or fetal/infant clinical specimen.

·       Detection of recent Zika virus or flavivirus infection by serologic tests of maternal or infant serum or cerebrospinal fluid.

·       Confirmation of Zika virus infection in any test of maternal or fetal/infant clinical specimen.

The CDC evaluates all data received on an ongoing basis and updates statistics for the Pregnancy Registry on a weekly basis. The data will be used as a source to improve measures to prevent Zika infection during pregnancy and to update clinical guidelines for patient care (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6629e1.htm?s_cid=mm6629e1_w). Providing services and support for the pregnant women and families affected by Zika virus is also a priority.

Reference:

US Zika Pregnancy Registry. CDC website. https://www.cdc.gov/zika/reporting/registry.html.

Accessed July 28, 2017.