The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) is reporting that 14 possible cases of sexually transmitted Zika virus have been contracted in the U.S.
Advertisement
Engaged in sexual contact with a person who has traveled to, or resided in, an area with active Zika virus transmission during the prior three months.
Four cases had preliminary test results, but were awaiting confirmation. She said several studies are planned that will look into this, but until that information is available, it is safer for women to protect themselves during pregnancy.
Capt. Jennifer McQuiston, Deputy Incident Manager for the CDC’s Zika response, says she expects more cases of sexual transmission in the next few months.
There is no evidence that women can transmit Zika virus to their sex partners, CDC said. The CDC on Tuesday expanded its Zika travel advisory to two more places – the Marshall Islands, and Trinidad and Tobago. The additional cases, if confirmed, would suggest that sexual transmission is far more possible than once thought and would further complicate public health officials’ efforts to stop the virus. There have been no reports of women transmitting Zika to male sex partners.
Zika’s spreading fast across the Americas and the Caribbean and the World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of worldwide concern.
The CDC restated there is no evidence that women can transmit the virus to their sexual partners and that the most likely way to become infected with the Zika virus is from infected mosquitoes. They also don’t know how commonly Zika is spread this way as compared with mosquito bites, though they think it’s relatively rare.
What are the symptoms of Zika infection? Because there now is no vaccine or treatment for Zika virus, the best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to prevent mosquito bites.
The CDC just released some worrisome news about the ability for the untreatable Zika virus to be passed through sex. But for women who aren’t pregnant, illness from the virus is usually mild.
Advertisement
The cases all involved male travelers who recently visited a region with a Zika outbreak and then returned to the United States, where they reportedly passed on the virus to their female partners. It may be worth assessing the benefit of increasing the bat population to fight Zika, West Nile and other diseases spread by mosquito. Other uncertainties surround the incubation period of the virus and how Zika interacts with other viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, such as dengue.
