WA Health chief health officer Tarun Weeramanthri said there was no risk to people who had not recently travelled to a Zika-affected country. They also add men and non-pregnant women to the list of those who should consider their sexual risk from the virus, calling it a “complex and personal decision”.
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Health officials in United States on Friday said that the discovery of the presence of Zika virus in urine and saliva samples of some infected people in Brazil does not necessarily suggest that the virus can spread through casual contact with the infected person.
Besides the Texas case, there are only two other scientific reports related to possible sexual transmission of Zika, the CDC said.
Two weeks ago, the CDC recommended that pregnant women postpone trips to countries with Zika outbreaks, which are occurring in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
The reports came during the first regional conference since the Zika pandemic at the gathering of Mercosur-member health ministers in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital. “This is the first time we’ve demonstrated that the virus is active [in those fluids], with the potential to cause infection”, Fiocruz researcher Myrna Bonaldo said.
The virus, thought to be spread by the bite of mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, has caused severe birth defects in thousands of babies in Brazil and is spreading rapidly in the Americas.
The virus, which results in a form of microcephaly, results in babies being born with underdeveloped and smaller brains.
The American Red Cross is also asking prospective donors who have visited Zika-affected areas to wait a month before giving blood.
There have now been 11 cases of Zika virus infection among NY residents.
“The Zika virus is transferred by mosquitoes that are not indigenous to the Mahoning valley, actually to OH”, said Mahoning County Health Commissioner Patricia Sweeney. Guidance for pediatricians treating infants whose mothers may have been infected with Zika virus has not changed.
“We have established here at the State Department a Zika coordination team and a broader working group to ensure a robust and coordinated department response”, Kirby stated on Friday.
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Pregnant women who are not experiencing symptoms consistent with Zika virus can be tested when they begin prenatal care.
