It is also reported that the virus is spread by sexual transmission. Lab tests showed he had extremely high amounts of the virus in his blood – 100,000 times higher than that seen in other Zika samples, according to a CDC news release.
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Discussing the case, CDC director Thomas Frieden, MD said “We don’t have any evidence that suggests Zika can be passed from one person to another by sneezing or coughing or sharing utensils”, but that this case could challenge that belief.
Exactly how the disease was transmitted is still a mystery, though the person has since recovered. But as a precaution, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is working with his health care provider to ensure that he follows guidelines from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) to prevent the spread of the virus.
An elderly man who died of the Zika virus in Utah appears to have spread the infection to a caregiver, USA health officials said Monday.
Earlier this week, a case emerged in Utah in which a caregiver appeared to have been infected by an elderly patient, though the exact route of transmission remains unknown. Officials confirmed that the caregiver was a “family contact” but did not reveal further details, citing health privacy laws. Fever, joint pain, rash and conjunctivitis (red eyes) are the most prevalent symptoms of the virus. According to the guidelines, women who want to become pregnant following a visit to these countries are encouraged to wait a minimum of eight weeks, while men should consider using a condom from eight weeks to six months.
The Florida Department of Health is investigating a possible non-travel-related Zika virus transition in Miami-Dade County, officials said Tuesday.
Additionally, Zika virus can be spread through anal, oral, and vaginal sex. The virus typically causes no symptoms or only a mild illness.
Since May 2015, more than 1.4 million cases of the virus have been identified in South America, with most infections occurring in Brazil.
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has documented the spread of Zika virus in nearly 50 countries and territories including Central and South Americas, and the Caribbean islands.
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Fourteen of the cases were transmitted by sexual contact between those who had traveled and their US-based partners.
