Health authorities in the United States said they were investigating 14 new reports of the Zika virus possibly being transmitted by sex, including to pregnant women.
Advertisement
The CDC is advising men who have recently been to a Zika outbreak area to use a condom when they have sex with a pregnant women, or to abstain from sex during the pregnancy.
For four additional suspected sexual transmission events, preliminary laboratory evidence (IgM antibody test) is available for the women, but confirmatory tests are pending.
Health officials say sexual transmission of the Zika virus appears to be more common than previously thought.
However, for all cases being investigated, males who traveled to known areas of infection reported the onset of Zika-like symptoms within two weeks before their female sexual partners began to display similar symptoms.
The CDC did not disclose where these women live.
The Zika virus is mostly spread by the same kind of mosquito that transmits other tropical diseases, including dengue and chikungunya. The World Health Organization has called the explosive spread of the virus in the Americas a global health emergency and the scientific community has tried to tackle the growing threat. The breakout has been linked to a spike in microcephaly in Brazil, where babies are being born with deformed heads caused by brain damage.
While sexual transmission is possible, infectious disease specialists say it’s nearly always spread through the bite of an infected mosquito. Tests have not been completed for their male partners.
The virus is causing infections in South and Central America as well as in the Caribbean, where these mosquitoes are found, according to the CDC.
For most people, Zika is not serious.
The agency also has suggested that women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant should avoid traveling to Zika-affected areas.
The link hasn’t been confirmed but the possibility has prompted health officials to take cautionary steps to protect fetuses from the virus. This includes any history of Zika-like infection.
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.
Though sexual transmission is possible, it is rare, the CDC said. Zika virus tends to persist for about a week in blood, but it’s unclear how long it persists in other bodily fluids like semen or saliva.
Advertisement
Couples in which the woman is not pregnant may still want to use protection.
