A county in Texas on Tuesday reported a case of Zika virus being sexually transmitted, raising new concerns about the spread of a mosquito-borne virus linked to birth defects.
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Local health officials said the first known case of Zika virus transmission in Dallas (US), was contracted through sex and not a mosquito bite. However, a person contacted it without traveling to one of the infected areas, after their partner traveled to one of those areas.
A 2011 study looked at two cases of the virus in USA scientists who lived in Senegal while they were performing a mosquito-sampling project.
In a statement the CDC said it confirmed the test results showing Zika present in the blood of a “nontraveler in the continental United States”. Health officials have specifically seen clusters of this in El Salvador, Brazil and French Polynesia, according to WHO’s Dr. Bruce Aylward.
The health ministry in the central Cordoba province said Wednesday that the patient is a 68-year-old man who was infected overseas.
Babies with microcephaly are born with unusually small heads, and can go on to have incomplete brain development.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said the mosquito has “re-colonised” Madeira in Portugal and parts of southern Russian Federation and Georgia in recent years after disappearing from the continent in the 20th century.
There is no evidence of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in Texas, officials said. “And, then we need to educate health workers, particularly the midwives and obstetricians and health care workers that look after women and make sure that everyone gets the information on risks and diagnostics as hopefully the situation changes”. Costello is WHO’s director for maternal, child and adolescent health.
For this goal, we will count on 30 points of vigilance worldwide, mainly in countries lacking strong health care systems, he explained. Now there is no vaccine or treatment for Zika.
Brazil, which has more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly that may be linked to Zika, is scheduled to host the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.
The Republic of Ireland’s Health and Safety Executive has said the cases are unrelated.
“We’ve been doing these email blasts to staff”, he said, adding that the issue is discussed during emergency department huddles and staff meetings.
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It caused a dengue fever epidemic on the Portuguese island in late 2012.
