Zika virus infection and congenital anomalies in the Americas: opportunities for regional action

Abstract

We consider this to be a unique opportunity for countries in the Region of the Americas to develop, strengthen, and improve surveillance systems for congenital anomalies and teratogen information services. Creating health needs assessment tools for low-and middle-income countries may help them to develop effective policies to ensure primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention measures for congenital anomalies. Such initiatives will be useful for ZIKV congen-ital syndrome control and also for having a much wider impact on a significant proportion of preventable and man-ageable congenital conditions.