Microcephaly prevalence after the 2015 to 2016 Zika outbreak in Tangará da Serra, Brazil: a population-based study

Abstract

Objective: Prenatal infection with the Zika virus (ZIKV) can lead to congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), characterized by microcephaly and brain injury. However, there are questions regarding the prevalence of microcephaly/CZS after the ZIKV outbreak in defined geographic areas. This study aimed to identify adverse outcomes in live births of fetuses exposed in utero to the ZIKV, compared to unexposed births, as well as maternal sociodemographic, delivery, and birth characteristics. Methods: Here, we conducted a cross-sectional observational study to investigate the characteristics of all live births in the city of Tangará da Serra, Mato Grosso, Brazil, in 2016, after the outbreak of ZIKV infection in late 2015. All live births of children to women residing in the municipality of Tangará da Serra between January 1 and December 31, 2016, were evaluated, and head circumference was measured at birth and after 24 hours. Children born with microcephaly or a maternal history of confirmed or suspected prenatal ZIKV infection were evaluated by a multidisciplinary team. The outcomes of the exposed and non-exposed children were compared. Prevalence ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated for sociodemographic, delivery, and live birth characteristics. Results: Of 1,441 live births, 106 (7.3%) were from mothers with confirmed or highly probable exposure to ZIKV. The prevalence of severe congenital microcephaly (41.7/10,000) in Tangará da Serra in 2016 was ten-fold higher than that in Latin America before 2015. Conclusion: This study may serve as a model to investigate possible outbreaks of infections in a defined geographical space in the future.