Zika is a rapidly spreading, mosquito-borne virus that is linked to severe birth defects, including microcephaly, or small heads, in infants born to women with Zika.
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The US Centres for Disease control have reported the first confirmed case of the Zika virus being transmitted between two men sexually. There have only been a few Zika cases recorded so far in the US, all involving people who returned from global travels after having contracted it.
The CDC today added St. Lucia to the destinations on its level 2 travel notice, which urges pregnant women to postpone travel and women considering getting pregnant and male travelers to take certain precautions.
The report from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that if a woman is infected with Zika during pregnancy, the result can indeed be microcephaly and other congenital problems in the babies of those women. Despite the large number of confirmed cases of Zika in South America, Colombia is only the second country to confirm related cases of microcephaly.
◦ Before you or your male partner travel, talk to your doctor about your plans to become pregnant and the risk of zika virus infection. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director at the CDC, has said the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary vector of Zika, resides in 30 states.
Here is a look at microcephaly and other birth defects caused by Zika virus.
In areas where Zika is spread by mosquitos, it’s exceedingly hard to actually prove that transmission of the virus happened by sexual intercourse. Five days later, the man’s partner also developed Zika symptoms, including headaches, fatigue, and a mild fever.
The CDC said in the news release that it isn’t changing its guidance on the heels of the new findings, and that determining a causal effect next would be imperative.
“Anal sex is practiced not only by men who have sex with men, but also by heterosexual couples, and so it’s important to consider not the person’s sexual preference but the activity in which they’re engaging”, says Brooks.
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About 700 people in the United States have been infected with the Zika virus as of last week, including 69 pregnant women, the centre announced on Monday.
