CDC Releases New Vital Signs Focused on Zika and Pregnancy

Last week I was honored to participate in the national Zika Action Plan Summit at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hosted by CDC, the one-day Summit brought together officials from local, state and federal jurisdictions, as well as non-governmental organizations, to help ensure a coordinated response to the mosquito-borne illness linked to the devastating birth defect microcephaly.

On the same day as the Summit, CDC released a Vital Signs report with information that reinforces previous CDC guidance and suggested actions that pregnant women and their partners can take to prevent Zika virus infection during pregnancy. The Vital Signs report describes what the U.S. government is doing, what state and local public health agencies and healthcare providers can do and what can be done to prevent mosquito bites that potentially spread Zika. The report also includes an updated U.S. map with the latest available information on where the mosquitoes that can transmit the virus have been found.

I am still absorbing everything I heard and learned at the Summit. What I know for sure is that it takes all of us, and the CDC Foundation could not possibly help provide the support that is vital to CDC’s work on the ground without our generous partners. I encourage you to explore the new Vital Signs, and applaud the work of our CDC colleagues who are working on Zika and other health threats to keep us all healthy and safe.