About the Registry

Background and Importance

• Zika virus is the first known mosquito-borne virus to cause birth defects in humans.  Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects. Other problems, such as miscarriage and stillbirth, have been identified among pregnant women who had laboratory evidence of Zika virus infection. Other problems have been detected among fetuses and infants, including absent or poorly developed brain structures, defects of the eye, and impaired growth. Despite these observations, many questions remain about the risks to the fetus from Zika virus infection during pregnancy.
• To ensure complete and accurate case reporting and to facilitate the public health response to the Zika virus outbreak, CDC has established the US Zika Pregnancy Registry (hereafter referred to as the Registry) to collect information on the impact of Zika virus infection during pregnancy on women and their infants.
• The Registry collects clinical information about the mother during pregnancy, information about laboratory and other prenatal testing, and clinical information about the infant at birth and through the first year of life.
• CDC is coordinating the Registry, which will complement notifiable disease surveillance of Zika by providing information to define clinical recommendations for the evaluation and management of Zika virus infection during pregnancy and to inform pregnant women.
• The success of the Registry depends on the voluntary collaboration of state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments.
• The Registry is expected to provide more information about the risk for poor pregnancy outcomes in women who are infected with Zika virus during different stages of pregnancy and to provide more information on the range of pregnancy and infant outcomes associated with Zika virus infection during pregnancy.
• Information from the Registry will not only be used  to update recommendations for clinical care; it will also be essential for planning for services for pregnant women and families affected by Zika virus, and for improving prevention of Zika virus infection during pregnancy.

Eligibility for the US Zika Pregnancy Registry

Pregnant women and infants who meet the following criteria are eligible for the US Zika Pregnancy Registry:

• Pregnant women in the United States and US territories (with the exception of Puerto Rico)   with laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection (regardless of whether they have symptoms) and periconceptionally, prenatally, or perinatally exposed infants born to these women.
• Infants with laboratory evidence of possible congenital Zika virus infection (regardless of whether they have symptoms) and their mothers.