A rare case of the Zika virus being transmitted through sex,
not a mosquito bite, has been reported in the US.
A patient infected in Dallas, Texas, is likely to have been
infected by sexual contact, the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) told the BBC.
The person had not travelled to infected areas but their
partner had returned from Venezuela.
Zika is carried by mosquitoes and has been linked to
thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains.
It is spreading through the Americas and the World Health
Organization (WHO) has declared the disease linked to the
virus a global public health emergency.
More on the Zika crisis:
What you need to know Key questions answered about the
virus and its spread
Travel advice Countries affected and what you should do
The mosquito behind spread of virus What we know about
the mosquito involved
Abortion dilemma Laws and practices in Catholic Latin
America
The American Red Cross has meanwhile urged prospective
blood donors returning from Zika-hit countries to wait at
least 28 days before donating their blood.
The âself-deferralâ should apply to people returning from
Mexico, the Caribbean or Central or South America during
the past four weeks, the Red Cross said in a statement.
Elsewhere:
Two cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in
Australia . Officials said the two Sydney residents had
recently returned from the Caribbean.
Zika has also been found in two unrelated cases in the
Republic of Ireland , officials there said. A man and an
older woman, who have both recovered, had a history of
travelling to a Zika-affected country.
Meanwhile, Brazil - the country worst hit by the outbreak -
has revealed it is investigating 3,670 suspected cases of
microcephaly in babies linked to the Zika virus.
A total of 404 cases have so far been confirmed - up from
270 last week - while 709 cases have been discarded, the
countryâs health ministry said.
The ministry also said 76 infant deaths from microcephaly,
either during pregnancy or just after birth, were suspected.
Analysis by James Gallagher, health editor, BBC News
website
The main way Zika is spread is by mosquitoes.
But if Zika can also spread through sex, then it poses a risk
to every country not just those with the Aedes mosquito.
So far, authorities have said sexual transmission is rare,
but last year they would have said any case of Zika was
rare, too.
This explosive outbreak has caught the world by surprise
and many key questions remain unanswered.
Exactly how common or rare is sexual transmission? Can it
be spread by the 80% of people who show no symptoms?
How long does the virus persist in semen? When is it safe
to have sex again?
What should men do after visiting affected countries? Can
women also spread the virus through sex?
However, this is not a new HIV/Aids moment. HIV infection
is incurable and dramatically shortens lives without daily
medication.
Zika infections are short, mild and pose a significant threat
only in pregnancy.
Texas has seen seven other Zika cases all related to
foreign travel.
But Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director for CDC, said
this was the first case it had dealt with involving a ânon-
travellerâ.
âWe donât believe this was spread through mosquito bites,
but we do believe it was spread through a sexual contact.â
A statement issued by the CDC said the best way to avoid
Zika virus infection was âto prevent mosquito bites and to
avoid exposure to semen from someone who has been
exposed to Zikaâ.
The case is âsignificantâ if it was definitely transmitted
through sexual contact, Alaka Basu, a senior fellow for
public health at the UN Foundation, told the BBC.
âThis significance is parallel with the HIV/Aids case. Itâs
worse in some ways, because there are two modes of
transmission.â
It is not the first known case of sexual transmission in the
US. A doctor from Colorado returning from Africa in 2008 is
thought to have passed on the infection to his wife. There
was a case in 2013 in French Polynesia, according to the
CDC website .
The CDC recommends that pregnant women avoid travel to
more than two dozen countries with Zika outbreaks, mostly
in the Caribbean and Latin America, including Venezuela.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said her government
was focused on eradicating the mosquito that transmits
the virus.
In an address to a joint session of Congress, she said
considerable funds would be set aside for the programme.
âWe should all be worried about microcephaly,â she said.
The alert issued by the World Health Organization (WHO)
on Monday puts Zika in the same category of concern as
Ebola.
It means research and aid will be fast-tracked to tackle the
infection.
WHO director general, Margaret Chan said the priorities
were to protect pregnant women and their babies from
harm and to control the mosquitoes that are spreading the
virus.
WHO has said it could take up to nine months for experts
to prove or disprove any connection between the virus and
babies born with microcephaly.
Share this story About sharing
Top Stories
US has âsexually transmittedâ Zika case
A rare case of the Zika virus - linked to thousands of brain
defects in babies in the Americas - being sexually
transmitted has been reported in Texas.
1 Like
Sounds like this Disease is Designed for the African Market!..
Just when we thought AIDS was under control the Forces that be come up with a newer way to Reduce the world`s population.
God Help usâŚ
2 Likes
Kwani tulikosea wapi??? @Ka-Buda
What fascinates me most is the way African countries jus comfortably sit and wait
Even our very own ministry of health has never issued a statementâŚ
We are all waiting for the developed countries to come up with a cureâŚ
Silly
1 Like