Rapid spread of an ongoing outbreak of Zika virus disease in pregnant women in a Mexican hospital

Abstract

In the first nine weeks of implementation of a Zika Virus Preparedness Plan in a Mexican Public Hospital, we cared for 221 pregnant women with any signal or symptom suggesting Zika virus infection and 99 (44.8%) patients were found to be positive for Zika virus.The median age of patients was 25.3 years (range 13–49). Symptoms in PCR-positive patients were rash (91.4%) followed by headache (53.1%), myalgia (46.9%), arthralgia (45.7%), pruritus (35.8%), retroocular pain (29.6%), conjunctivitis (21%), and fever (21%). The women's epidemiologic exposure history indicates local transmission and a community outbreak. Keywords: Zika virus disease, Congenital Zika virus syndrome, Microcephaly