In newly issued guidelines about sexual transmission of the disease. official said men who have traveled to Zika-infected countries should use condoms or abstain from sex for the duration of their partner’s pregnancy.
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Women who are not pregnant should consider doing the same if they are “concerned about sexual transmission”, according to the guidelines.
Still, because mosquitos are the most common carrier of the illness, the best way to avoid the virus is to prevent mosquito bites, the CDC said. The agency noted that Zika infection is usually mild, and about 80 percent of people who are infected with the virus have no symptoms at all.
He said they also have 448 kits to test for the active virus and is asking for more of those kits as well.
Dr. Garcia said her practice is developing a screening questionnaire to assess each patient’s risk for Zika virus based on her travel history.
We look at the spread of the Zika virus, which scientists have linked to rising temperatures from global warming because of the increased incidence of mosquito-borne infections.
It is the first time the virus has been detected in saliva and urine, scientists told reporters in Rio de Janeiro. One woman gave birth in Hawaii to a child with microcephaly; officials said she likely contracted the virus while living in Brazil. Health officials are also saying four more people in Dallas, who have recently traveled, may have been infected with the Zika virus.
Though presence of the Zika virus has been identified in 17 cases of babies with microcephaly, as the condition is known, there is no solid proof that the virus causes it. Babies with microcephaly have abnormally small heads and often have underdeveloped brains. But one thing is certain – the emergence of Zika, as seen on these maps, reflects the shrinking world we live in.
“We’re not aware of any mosquito disease associated with such a potential devastating birth outcome on a scale anything like what appears to be occurring with Zika in Brazil”, Frieden said.
But experts say that the million-plus suspected cases in the Americas have been contained to areas where the mosquito is found, suggesting it does not spread easily through other means.
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“We have no data to support urine or saliva” transmission at this point, Frieden said.
