Zika Virus Cases Confirmed In DC

“That fact that the virus was found with the capacity to cause infection is not proof that it can contaminate other people through those fluids”, said Myrna Bonaldo, one of the scientists who made the discovery.

Frieden said health officials are not surprised that cases have been largely isolated to Brazil “because of the time frame between infection and delivery”.

And while other viruses such as human immunodeficiency and hepatitis can be transmitted through saliva, those are not the main ways those viruses spread, Schaffner said.

This advice comes days after a woman in Dallas contracted the Zika virus through sexual transmission. Gadelha recomended that pregnant women avoid kissing and sharing cutlery, glasses and plates with people who have symptoms of the virus.

While symptoms are usually mild or nonexistent for most people diagnosed with the disease, Zika has led to Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack the nervous system, in rare cases.

The government of Indonesia has issued a travel advisory to Latin America related to the Zika virus outbreak in the region, Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said.

– Based on reports of possible Zika transmission through sexual contact, CDC has suggested that pregnant women avoid sexual contact with men who have recently returned from areas with Zika transmission. “If you are trying to get pregnant, you may consider testing in discussion with your health care provider”, the new CDC advisory stated.

Zika is spreading rapidly in the Americas, and has been linked to a spike in birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil.

Brazilian organizers have reiterated they have no intention of canceling the Rio de Janeiro Olympics because of the outbreak of the Zika virus, with Sports Minister George Hilton saying the topic “is not in discussion”.

“We have to ensure Florida is prepared and stays ahead of the spread of the Zika virus in our state”, Gov. Rick Scott said in a news release.

“Because this is so knew, we are learning more about Zika daily”, Frieden said during a teleconference Friday, noting that “we can’t make assumptions about how Zika spreads from one individual case“. It’s going to be imported, but we don’t feel it’s going to be transmitted indigenously.

Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a conference call Friday morning that he recognized how scary the unfolding crisis has been to pregnant women.