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Locally acquired Zika virus (ZV) infection in Puerto Rico was first recognized in December 2015. ZV infection has been associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a postinfectious, autoimmune-induced, bilateral flaccid paralysis (NEJM JW Infect Dis Apr 2016 and Lancet 2016; 387:1531). In February 2016, the Puerto Rico Department of Health in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instituted a passive surveillance assessment of the incidence of GBS. From January to July 31, 2016, 56 patients with GBS were identified, of whom 34 (61%) had evidence of recent ZV or other flavivirus infection. Researchers now report on findings in these patients.
Among the 34 patients, median age was 55 years (range, 21–88 years). All …