After confirming a sexually transmitted case of Zika virus in Dallas County, Texas, the CDC released guidelines calling for men who have traveled to affected areas to use condoms during sex with a pregnant partner or abstain from sex for the duration of the pregnancy.
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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.
It also stressed that “the diagnosed cases of Zika virus in Spain… don’t risk spreading the virus in our country as they are imported cases”.
The Zika virus was first discovered by researchers in Uganda’s Zika Forest in 1947 but its recent explosive spread through Brazil and French Polynesia has sparked the World Health Organisation to declare a public health emergency.
And with new research showing the virus is detected in urine, and saliva, the conversations on Zika are just beginning. “Symptoms typically begin two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito”. The agency also says follow-up testing can be considered in the middle of the second trimester, because exposure to the virus may pose an ongoing risk. The woman’s health care provider may choose to perform an additional ultrasound to check the fetus for microcephaly.
He said that calls for special precaution to be taken with pregnant women, and suggested they avoid kissing people other than a regular partner or sharing cutlery, glasses and plates with people who have symptoms of the virus.
“We have no data to support urine or saliva” transmission at this point, Frieden said.
Zika virus disease is mainly spread by mosquitoes. Guidance for pediatricians treating infants whose mothers may have been infected with Zika virus has not changed.
The issue is that many people who contract Zika virus might not know they have it. Only 1 in 5 people who have Zika develop symptoms, and those symptoms are typically mild: fatigue, aches, pain, and a skin rash.
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Sexual transmission of Zika is possible, and because the mosquito-borne disease has been potentially linked to birth defects, it’s of particular concern during pregnancy. The other two cases occurred in 2016, with the pregnant woman picking up the virus in South America and the other individual contracting it in Central America, reports WUSA9.
