As for the sexual transmission of the virus, in the cases studied by the CDC, the infected man had sex while he had symptoms of a Zika infection, or shortly thereafter.
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It’s possible Zika could be most risky in early pregnancy, an important period for brain development.
The CDC also released new numbers of USA residents who have contracted Zika. The CDC recommends pregnant women should consider postponing travel to affected areas.
Of the other eight women, two had miscarriages, two aborted their fetuses after MRIs and ultrasounds showed evidence of brain malformation, two had healthy babies, and two other women are still pregnant with apparently healthy babies. Microcephaly is a birth defect associated with undersized heads and developmental problems.
Zika virus infection has been confirmed in two non-traveling women whose only known risk factor was sexual contact with a male partner who had recently traveled to an area with ongoing transmission, the CDC said Friday. For people who get sick, the illness is usually mild.
One delivered a healthy baby and the other is continuing her pregnancy. Couples who are trying to get pregnant and have returned from Zika-affected areas are encouraged to consult with their health care provider.
CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden said scientists at the agency’s lab identified Zika virus in placental tissues.
Most people are not sickened by Zika, and it only caught authorities attention when the number of babies born with microcephaly began climbing in Brazil. Travel advisories have been issued for American Samoa, Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Samoa.
OR recorded its first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus after a man who traveled to a country with an outbreak passed the virus that’s generally spread by mosquito bites to a woman who had not traveled, public health officials said Friday. The CDC received the reports between February 6 and 22.
“We did not, however, anticipate that we would see this many sexually transmitted cases of Zika”, Frieden said in a teleconference.
The CDC said it continues to investigate 10 more cases.
Two women experienced the virus during their second trimester of pregnancy.
The unidentified women recently traveled to the Caribbean or South America, where the mosquito-borne virus has been spreading.
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Because the couples were not living in locations where Zika is known to be spread by mosquitos, it’s presumed the virus was spread through unprotected sex. Using latex condoms every time reduces the risk of sexual transmission of many infections, including those caused by other viruses. Up to 1.5 million cases are suspected in Brazil, according to the World Health Organization.
