USA health officials are investigating 14 reports of the Zika virus that may been transmitted through sex, including to several pregnant women, raising new questions about the role sexual transmission is playing in the growing outbreak.
“This is a significant development as health authorities are recommending all pregnant women who have traveled to a place with a Zika virus outbreak get tested”, Musser said.
“The report of the case in Dallas raised concern so doctors are beginning to think about it when they see patients”, McQuiston said, adding that another possible reason for the increase in these possible cases could be reflective of the travel patterns and people returning from infected areas.
Although sexual transmission of Zika virus infection is possible, mosquito bites remain the primary way that Zika virus is transmitted, the CDC noted.
“This means that we have mosquitoes here that are infected with the Zika virus and are transmitting it to others”.
“This is a rare event, but transmission through sex is possible in certain circumstances … With these new suspected cases that we’re investigating, we’re really becoming aware that sexual transmission might happen more often than previously thought”, she said.
The majority of people with Zika virus have no symptoms. While a Zika vaccine is being developed, there is now no vaccine or medicine available to treat a Zika infection.
In addition to the two confirmed cases, in four others the preliminary evidence suggests Zika, but the virus has not been confirmed, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials, speaking on Tuesday. “However, we should still focus on Zika spreading through mosquitos”. However, there are 82 cases of people who have it in the US who have traveled there from other countries. With today’s 14 suspected cases, the CDC is re-thinking how the disease is spread.
It was developed as part of the L.E. and Virginia Simmons Collaborative in Virus Detection and Surveillance, a sponsored program created to facilitate rapid development of tests for virus detection in a large metropolitan area. The findings have raised new speculations about the ability of spread of the virus through sexual transmission. Pregnant women should discuss their male partner’s potential exposures to mosquitoes and history of Zika-like illness with their health care provider; providers can consult CDC’s guidelines for evaluation and testing of pregnant women.
