The number of new Zika cases reported among pregnant women in the United States dropped for the second week in a row, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For the week ending Nov. 10, there were 124 new cases of pregnant women with laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection reported to the CDC: 30 in the states and the District of Columbia and 94 in the U.S. territories. The previous week (Nov. 3), the number of new cases was 146, which came on the heels of a new weekly high of 288 for the week of Oct. 27.
The total number of pregnant women with Zika now stands at 3,538 for the year: 1,087 for the states and 2,451 for the territories, the CDC said.
Among all Americans, there have been 36,323 cases of Zika reported to the CDC: 4,255 have occurred in the states/D.C. and 32,068 in the territories. About 98% of territorial cases have occurred in Puerto Rico, the CDC said.
No new cases of infants with Zika-related birth defects were reported for the week ending Nov. 10, so the totals hold at 26 infants born with Zika-related birth defects and five Zika-related pregnancy losses, according to the CDC.
The CDC is no longer reporting adverse pregnancy outcomes for the territories because Puerto Rico is not using the same “inclusion criteria to monitor brain abnormalities and other adverse pregnancy outcomes.” As of Sept. 29 – the date of the last territorial report – there had been one liveborn infant and one pregnancy loss related to Zika.
Zika-related birth defects reported by the CDC could include microcephaly, calcium deposits in the brain indicating possible brain damage, excess fluid in the brain cavities and surrounding the brain, absent or poorly formed brain structures, abnormal eye development, or other problems resulting from brain damage that affect nerves, muscles, and bones. The pregnancy losses encompass any miscarriage, stillbirth, and termination with evidence of birth defects.
The pregnancy-related figures for states, territories, and D.C. reflect reporting to the U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry; data for Puerto Rico are reported to the U.S. Zika Active Pregnancy Surveillance System.