HAPPY NEONATAL NURSES DAY
In September, NANN celebrated Neonatal Nurses Day with all of our members. The NANN national office is grateful for the care you provide to vulnerable infants and their families. This year's theme was Healing Hands. Generous Hearts, which highlighted the passion of neonatal nurses and the lifelong impact of your care. You continue to go above and beyond to ensure that each one of your patients receive excellent care. We know that the work takes talent and is not easy. To be a neonatal nurse means you are special. Your healing hands provide nurture and provide the warmth that comes from your generous heart! Thank you, from all of us here at the national office.
ZIKA VIRUS UPDATE
In August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the interim clinical guidelines for healthcare providers screening patients for Zika virus. Did you know that Zika virus is more than just microcephaly? It can cause intracranial calcifications, hydrocephalus ex vacuo, hydranencephaly, pachygyria, lissencephaly, agyria, brain atrophy and brain asymmetry, enlargement of posterior fossa, ventriculomegaly, restricted middle cerebral artery flow, and abnormally formed or absent structures (including corpus callosum, thalami, cerebellar vermis, and brain stem). In addition, infant outcomes include eye abnormalities, hearing impairment and hearing loss, limb abnormalities (including arthrogryposis, clubfoot, and congenital hip dysplasia), seizures, swallowing impairment, severe irritability, developmental delay, and growth abnormalities.
Infants with congenital Zika syndrome ultimately will require lifelong care. This will place an enormous amount of stress on our healthcare system for years to come. The CDC is working to test mothers and infants who are at risk. A real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction should be performed on an at-risk infant's serum and urine, and IgM antibody testing should be performed on infant's serum.
The CDC US Zika Pregnancy Registry is updated regularly with data that have been collected. This registry was created to gain information about the virus and to collaborate with state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments. Using these data, ongoing recommendations for clinical care, services for pregnant women and families affected by Zika virus infection, and prevention techniques during pregnancy will be provided for healthcare providers and the general public.
For more information about the clinical guidelines for Zika virus infection, please visit the CDC Web site at https://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/calls/2016/callinfo_082316.asp. In addition, NANN continues to post information on the latest Zika virus information at http://www.nann.org.