Zika Virus: Impact of ICD-10 Code on Provincial Reporting & Tracking

This report examines the impact of introducing a specific ICD-10 code (A92.8) for the Zika virus on provincial health reporting, disease monitoring, and population health management. Before 2016, Zika virus lacked a unique code, but the introduction of ICD-10 code A92.8 enabled better tracking of the disease and its associated conditions, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (G61.0). The code assists in monitoring maternal infections and congenital abnormalities like microcephaly and developmental disorders linked to the virus. This enhancement in coding facilitates improved data collection and analysis, aiding healthcare professionals and organizations like WHO and CDC in understanding the timing, risks, and spectrum of Zika virus infections during pregnancy, and in implementing best practices for patient care.

Answer 1:
Adding the code for Zika virus has helped WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
to track the illness. It has been possible to monitor the disease under the code ICD 10 code A92.8
(these include the specified mosquito-borne viral fever). Zika virus causes flu like symptoms in
patients which is spread by some of the infected Aedes mosquitoes and the virus is a major issue
for the pregnant women mainly (Mlakar et al., 2016). There are infections which impact the body
temperature as well.
Hence for the pregnant women who have contracted the virus, under ICD 10 code helps the
pregnant women to handle the problems of the maternal infections or the parasitic diseases which
are classifiable elsewhere. There are codes, wherein if the patient has contracted the Guillain
Barre syndrome, it would be under G61.0. The documentation would not require any tracking
and does not need any documentation for the tests which are performed for Zika virus. The
clinical information would include:
a. The congenital abnormality in the cerebrum which is completely underdeveloped.
b. There are acquiring of the developmental disorders with the results of delay in brain
development (Petersen et al., 2016).
c. Abnormalities with smallness of the brain.
d. The small head is produced by incomplete development, which is then associated to the
normal mental and the cognitive development.
There are symptoms for the addressing of questions about timing, risks and the spectrum which
is linked to the virus infection at the time of pregnancy. The information of the best practices are
related to the care of pregnant women with Zika virus infection and their infants.

References
Mlakar, J., Korva, M., Tul, N., Popović, M., Poljšak-Prijatelj, M., Mraz, J., ... & Vizjak, A.
(2016). Zika virus associated with microcephaly. New England Journal of
Medicine, 374(10), 951-958.
Petersen, L. R., Jamieson, D. J., Powers, A. M., & Honein, M. A. (2016). Zika virus. New
England Journal of Medicine, 374(16), 1552-1563.