The World Health Organization (WHO) has voiced its concern over reports that a case of the Zika virus contracted in the USA state of Texas was transmitted sexually. Officials say doctors should ask pregnant women about their travel and certain symptoms, and, if warranted, test them for an infection with the Zika virus.
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Scott signed the order Wednesday to cover Miami-Dade, Lee, Hillsborough and Santa Rosa counties.
Brazil, which has been hardest hit by Zika, said on Tuesday that 4,074 cases of infants with severe birth defects could be linked to the mosquito-borne virus, for which there is no vaccine.
Declaring an emergency gives state agencies, such as the department of agriculture and health departments, more freedom to deal with the disease as they see fit.
The virus is suspected of causing two serious complications, though it has not been scientifically linked to either: microcephaly in babies, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Based on that, the CDC says it will soon provide guidance on sexual transmission, with a “focus on the male sexual partners of women who are or who may be pregnant”.
– The Georgia Department of Public Health confirms the first travel-related case of Zika virus in Georgia.
Dr Yong Puworawan, head of Chulalongkorn University’s Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology, revealed that Zika can be transmitted via mosquito bite but also by sexual intercourse and breast feeding.
The DCHHS is advising that the best way to avoid the Zika virus is to avoid mosquito bites and to avoid sexual contact with a person who has Zika virus.
Back in 2008, the CDC reported a possible case of a man spreading the virus to his wife through sexual contact in Colorado after becoming infected in Senegal. The symptoms resemble those of a mild case of the flu – headache, muscle and joint pain, and mild fever – plus a rash.
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The Health Ministry has called upon all passengers traveling to countries that have been inflicted by Zika virus to take necessary precautions. It has since spread across Latin America, with cases having been reported in several European countries, including Germany, as well as the United States.
