In
2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) Division
of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases (DVBID) published
the first report of intrauterine West Nile virus (WNV)
transmission, in which
the
infant had congenital abnormalities http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5150a3.htm.
This single case does not provide proof of a causal relationship
between WNV infection during pregnancy and such abnormalities.
CDC is enhancing surveillance to learn more about intrauterine
WNV transmission and birth outcomes. Healthcare providers
and state and local health departments are encouraged to report cases
of known or suspected WNV disease
(WN meningoencephalitis or fever)
during pregnancy.
| Pregnant
women who have physician-diagnosed WNV disease should
encourage their physician to report their case to their
state health department.
Health
Care Providers: please report WNV disease
cases during pregnancy to your state
health department,
who will report them to the CDC. If your patient
has pregnancy-associated WNV disease and wishes
to be part of a registry to track intrauterine
infections and birth outcomes, your state health
department can provide you with appropriate contact
information. If, in the unfortunate event of
miscarriage in
your WNV-infected patient, products of conception
are available, it would be important to store
them frozen and notify your state WNV coordinator
as soon as possible.
|
| Note:
Because local health professionals need to be involved
in the evaluation, reports cannot be accepted directly from individual patients. |
|
