Biosecurity

CDC monitoring nearly 300 pregnant women with Zika in U.S. states, territories

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that it is monitoring 279 pregnant women with likely Zika virus infections across U.S. states and territories.

The largest number of cases by far are in Puerto Rico, where officials are keeping tabs on 122 pregnant women. But officials said they also are tracking 157 other pregnant women across the country. The numbers include women who have shown symptoms of Zika, such as fever, rash and conjunctivitis, as well as those who remain asymptomatic but have tested positive for the disease.

"One challenge of this Zika virus outbreak is the lack of understanding of the magnitude of risk and the spectrum of outcomes associated with Zika virus infection during pregnancy," researchers wrote in a report Friday. The surveillance effort, they noted, is intended to "enhance risk assessment and counseling of pregnant women and families, advance clinical care, and assist states and territories to anticipate and plan needed resources and increase prevention efforts."