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CDC suggests travelers abstain from sex to avoid getting Zika

Zika virus primarily is spread by Aedes mosquitoes.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the guidelines Friday, just days after two cases of Zika were reported in Texas – at least one of which involved passing the virus sexually.

Men with a pregnant sex partner who reside in or have traveled to an area of active Zika virus transmission should consistently and correctly use condoms during sexual activity or abstain from sexual activity for the duration of the pregnancy.

The possibility of infection via body fluids could complicate efforts to contain the outbreak.

Patricia Ruppert said the woman is not pregnant.

Health officials say Kansas has not had any confirmed cases of the Zika virus.

“We have no data to support urine or saliva”, transmission at this point, Frieden said.

Over the past two weeks, the CDC says testing for Zika is improving. Microcephaly is a condition in which babies are born with smaller than normal heads and brains, which may lead to health complications and a variety of disabilities. One of the problems with Zika is that symptoms only appear in about 20 per cent of people who have it. Consequently, the CDC is advising that people take special precautions after visiting an area where Zika is now making the rounds.

Brazil Carnival revellers warned to be careful who they kiss.

Apart from condoms and abstinence, Frieden said the best way to protect against the disease is to avoid mosquito bites.

The announcement was made on Friday by Paulo Gavel, president of Brazil’s world-renowned public health research institution Ossa Crud Foundation (Fisc), Xinhua news agency reported.

CDC Director Tom Frieden told reporters that they needed “more information” about reports that traces of the virus were detected in saliva and urine of unwell patients.

Zika was previously thought to only be transmitted by mosquitoes.

The National Conference of Bishops in Brazil, however, said that the World Health Organisation’s declaration this week that Zika was an global emergency didn’t justify abortion. “We hope that local and expect local transmission will not become widespread”, said Frieden.

Reflecting concern over potential harm to foetuses, the CDC updated its guidelines on Friday for testing pregnant women who have traveled to affected areas, saying even those without symptoms should be tested after returning home. For most people who catch the virus, it causes mild or no symptoms.

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The Zika virus can be transmitted from the bite of a specific type of mosquito which has not been found yet in Nebraska, through blood transfusion, and sexual contact.

Laurinaldo Alves adjusts the pacifier of his daughter Luana Vitoria who suffers from microcephaly during a physical stimulation session at the Altino Ventura foundation a treatment center that provides free health care in Recife Pernambuco state Bra