The Center for Disease Control has estimated the healthcare costs associated with children born with microcephaly, a birth defect associated with pregnant mothers who contracted the Zika virus.
CDC director Tom Frieden, MD, stated at the Zika Summit Conference in April that a single child born with birth defects can require up to $10 million in healthcare spending and associated costs. Oftentimes, babies born with severe defects need special treatment and healthcare and institutional treatments or services to thrive. These costs are maintained throughout the course of his or her life.
Currently, more than 16,800 Americans have contracted the Zika virus, 1,600 pregnant women have been affected and 17 babies have been born with birth defects related to the Zika virus, according to the Washington Examiner.