While mosquitoes are the primary vector for Zika infection, the CDC has confirmed six cases of sexual transmission of the virus from men to their female partners.
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“Either use condoms the right way, every time, or do not have sex during your pregnancy”, the CDC said.
“It’s more evidence to me that this association is continuing to look stronger and stronger”, said Dr. Richard Beigi, president of The Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology, who had seen the reports. Two women had miscarriages, although it is not known if the cause was the virus. All of the women being monitored by the CDC – including another 10 who are suspected of having the disease – likely contracted the virus while traveling overseas in Central and South America.
The CDC said the Zika outbreak in Brazil is “dynamic” and that it will continue to monitor the situation and will adjust these recommendations as needed.
Microcephaly is a condition in which babies are born with small heads and sometimes damaged brains. A few months later, she found out through ultrasound that her child has serious brain defects and that the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby has Zika virus content. “After discussion with her health-care providers, the patient elected to terminate her pregnancy”, the CDC stated. No Zika virus-related hospitalizations or deaths among pregnant women were reported.
Health officials said that two of the pregnancies were aborted, two more ended in miscarriage and one baby was borne with microcephaly.
Late on Friday, the Federal Drug Administration issued an emergency authorization for a new CDC laboratory test for the Zika virus that detects antibodies the body makes to fight infection.
Zika virus has been spread by mosquitoes in several countries throughout the Americas, and authorities have recommended that women who are pregnant consider postponing travel to those places where transmission of the virus is ongoing.
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Many experts said the link between Zika and microcephaly is well established and that the cases were a call to action for the medical community in the United States. And the risk of contracting the virus is already causing some USA athletes to question whether they will attend, most prominently, US women’s soccer goalie Hope Solo.
