“Mounting evidence has shown that sexual transmission of Zika virus is possible and more common than previously assumed”, the World Health Organization said in its new guidelines. According to reports, the symptoms of the virus were noted in a 45-year old woman hailing from Iloilo of the central Philippines.
Advertisement
There is a potential new cluster involving one previously reported case and a new case on Tuesday, said the ministry. Personal information about the woman has not been disclosed. In June, researchers announced that Zika RNA had been found in a woman’s vaginal fluids and cervical mucous after the virus had left her bloodstream.
This is not the first time Zika virus has made its way to the country. An additional four cases were reported, where the victims of the virus were foreigners.
Zikais also affecting large parts of Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil the hardest hit so far.
Dr Subramaniam said the ministry has also discussed with all government and private sector doctors on the precautionary measures and steps to be taken when a patient comes in with Zika.
Neighboring Singapore has over the past week said it detected more than 240 Zika cases while Malaysia reported its first locally transmitted infection on Saturday.
The Zika virus, which is usually mosquito-borne but may also be sexually transmitted, doesn’t pose a significant health threat to most people.
Professor Dale A Fisher, head of infectious diseases in Singapore’s National University Hospital, believes that there is a possibility a patient could be infected with both Zika and dengue fever.
Study co-senior author Dr. Rajendra Apte said the researchers “are planning studies in people to find out whether infectious virus persists in the cornea or other compartments of the eye, because that would have implications for corneal transplantation”.
The new guidelines reflect growing concern among health officials about the role of sex in spreading the virus, which can have a catastrophic impact on fetuses, including a brain disorder characterized by microcephaly, and can cause neurological complications and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults.
Advertisement
Even if further studies find that Zika can not be transmitted through human tears, it may be possible to test tears for Zika genetic material or antibodies to offer a less painful way to diagnose recent Zika infection than the current method of taking blood samples, the researchers said.
