However, putting in mind that prevention is better than cure, World Health Organization has advised people returning from areas where the Zika virus is found to follow safe sex practices or abstain from sex for at least eight weeks rather than just four. The organization now says that just being exposed to the virus means an eight-week kibosh on unprotected sex for couples who want to conceive.
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Detroit Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez said he contracted the Zika virus over the off-season in his home country of Venezuela and advises athletes to educate themselves on the virus before heading to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Official health agencies such as the WHO and the European Centre for Decease Prevention and Control’s (ECDC) assessments of which precautions to take regarding the Zika virus when traveling to Brazil are less acute that those of Dr. Attaran.
A woman walks along a polluted canal after heavy rains in Recife, Brazil.
Zika virus disease (Zika) is a disease caused by the Zika virus, which is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito.
“People should practise safer sex or abstain for at least eight weeks if they are returning from Zika-affected areas”, he said.
According to The Daily Mail, the World Health Organization appears to be pushing ahead with plans to host the Games in Rio despite recommendations having been made by over 150 health experts who fear that the hosting could lead to global disaster.
Health officials warn that residents should take precautions such as wearing long sleeves and trousers to provide the best protection from mosquitoes.
Couples considering pregnancy should discuss with their health care provider the potential risk of Zika virus during pregnancy.
“Zika is going to take a little time, I think, to build up in our human population”, said Jason LeMayster with the Hamilton County Health Department. “The second is the avoidance of mosquito bites and the third is for pregnant women, to avoid sexual relations with men who have either been infected or have recently traveled to that area”.
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The vast majority of Zika infections have occurred in Latin America, with Brazil the hot zone with an estimated 5,000 cases of microcephaly. There’s a report of one man who had Zika virus in his semen more than two months after he showed symptoms of infection.
