CDC Offers New Guidance on Diagnosing and Managing Zika in Infants

By Kelly Young

Edited by André Sofair, MD, MPH, and William E. Chavey, MD, MS

The CDC has updated its guidance for managing infants with potential Zika infection in MMWR.

Among the changes since the guidelines were last updated in August 2016:

• For infants with congenital Zika syndrome who pass the initial hearing screen with automated auditory brainstem response (ABR), a diagnostic ABR is not recommended at ages 4 to 6 months.

• For infants with birth defects consistent with Zika syndrome, clinicians should monitor for other clinical findings, such as difficulty breathing and swallowing and hydrocephaly, regardless of the infants' Zika test results.

• Infants who don't have Zika birth defects but whose mothers tested positive during pregnancy should undergo ophthalmologic exams by age 1 month.

• For infants born without birth defects to mothers who were potentially exposed to Zika but didn't test positive, no Zika tests other than standard evaluation are required.