Frieden emphasized that the primary way Zika spreads is by mosquito bites.
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Active Zika virus has been found in urine and saliva samples, Gadelha said, cautioning that that further study is needed to determine whether the mosquito-borne virus in those body fluids is capable of infecting people.
“We are requesting that the CDC provide us with at least 1,000 Zika antibody test kits, so we can test pregnant and new mothers who have traveled to affected areas and had symptoms of Zika”, said the Governor. He said tests on fetal brain tissue have showed the presence of the virus, but it’s unclear at what point in a pregnancy a fetus can be infected with Zika. Pregnant women, on the other hand, need to take note given what we know about the disease and its potential links to microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
“Just like a hurricane, we have to ensure Florida is safe”, Scott said yesterday, calling it prudent to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
“The science is not clear on how long the risk should be avoided”, the new guidelines say.
Only one case in the country has been transferred by sexual intercourse.
Health officials on Tuesday reported that a person in Texas has become infected with the Zika virus through sex in the first case of the illness being transmitted within the United States amid the current outbreak in Latin America.
Health officials had previously reported isolated instances of the virus being passed via blood transfusions and sexual contact, including a USA case reported this week. Thousands of babies have been born in Zika-affected regions with the birth defect microcephaly (although a causal relationship has not yet been scientifically established).
“We have confirmed and attributed three deaths to Zika”, said Martha Lucia Ospina, head of the National Health Institute. Health officials over in Dallas say that is in fact how this specific case was spread.
In addition to widening its testing guidelines, the CDC noted the possibility of sexual transmission.
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It’s not known whether Zika virus is also present in a person’s saliva when the individual is infected, but the CDC is not now issuing any recommendations about avoiding kissing, Frieden said. And as temperatures and mosquito populations rise, municipalities will have to examine their mosquito abatement policies, he added. Sexual transmission is believed to be much less common than transmission through mosquito bites.
