ICYMI: 1 In 10 Babies Born To Infected Mothers Have Zika-Related Defects

Ten percent of pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed Zika virus infections had babies or fetuses with Zika-related defects in 2016, the U.S. Centers and Disease Control and Prevention reported on Tuesday.

That number is based on analysis from the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry, which tracks the virus’ impacts on pregnant women across the country. The CDC’s analysis includes information on 972 Zika-related pregnancies that were completed between January and December 2016. The rate of associated defects was 5 percent for the total group but climbed to 10 percent for the 250 completed pregnancies that involved mothers who had “laboratory confirmed Zika virus infection,” the CDC reported.

That rate of defects climbed even higher when exposure occurred during the first three months of pregnancy. Birth defects were found at a 15 percent rate in fetuses and infants of “completed pregnancies with confirmed Zika virus infection in the first trimester,” the CDC's report said.

See also: Zika Virus in Florida: What Pregnant Women Need to Know

Zika is a mosquito-borne illness that can produce such symptoms as joint pain, fever and a rash. In adults, the illness typically goes away within a week or so, but some people require hospitalization. The virus is especially dangerous for pregnant women as it has been linked to severe defects in unborn children, including microcephaly, which leaves babies with abnormally small heads and often with brains that do not develop properly.

The CDC stresses its findings point to the need for pregnant women to avoid exposure to the virus. The rate of “Zika virus-associated birth defects continues to increase in the United States,” the agency warned.

Zika has become a growing concern across the United States over the last year or so with Florida especially hard hit by the virus. In 2016, the Florida Department of Health confirmed 1,112 travel-related infections. A total of 285 infections were locally acquired in the Sunshine State. All told, 292 pregnant women across the state displayed laboratory evidence of Zika infections in Florida last year.

Since 2017 began, the number of Zika infections in Florida have been trickling in. So far, the state has reported 29 travel-related infections, two locally acquired cases and three cases with undetermined exposure in 2016 that were tested in 2017. A total of 18 pregnant women have presented with laboratory evidence of the virus, state officials report. Broward and Miami-Dade counties have the most travel-related cases reported in 2017 so far with 10 and eight, respectively. Hillsborough County has also had three travel-related cases reported.

The full scope of Zika-related defects are still not known, CDC officials say, making prevention critical for pregnant women and those wishing to become pregnant.

“We are still learning about the range of birth defects,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, the agency’s acting director told CNN. “It can cause vision, hearing, brain problems," she said. Babies affected by the virus may also have trouble eating, difficulty sitting up, problems with joint movement, seizures and other symptoms, Schuchat said.

Between 2016 and March 14, 2017, a total of 1,228 Zika-related pregnancies have been completed in the United States, according to the CDC. The total of newborns in that period that presented with virus-related defects is 54. Seven of the pregnancies resulted in losses with birth defects noted.

For more information about the CDC’s findings, visit its website. To learn more about Zika virus cases and prevention in the Sunshine State, visit the Florida Department of Health’s website.

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