Guidelines for Pregnant Women During a Zika Virus Outbreak

February 01, 2016

On Feb. 2, the first U.S. case of the Zika virus was confirmed in Dallas. A woman was being treated after having contact with a sick person who came back to the U.S. from a country where the virus is present, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services.

The virus outbreak in Brazil has coincided with several thousand cases of microcephaly in South American babies. The condition causes infants' heads and brains to be abnormally small, though the link between the two conditions has not been medically proven. 

The US Department of Health and Human Services/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued guidelines and recommendations [PDF] for pregnant women considering travel to an area with Zika virus transmission and recommendations for screening, testing, and management of pregnant returning travelers.

Question and Answers: Zika virus infection (Zika) and pregnancy