Zika virus infection could be transmitted through anal sex, claims a recent report that confirmed the first sexually transmitted Zika virus case in Dallas. About 80 percent of infected individuals have no Zika Virus Disease symptoms at all and hospitalizations and deaths are very rare.
Advertisement
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there was an established link between pregnant women catching Zika and their babies developing microcephaly as well as other neurological abnormalities. Microcephaly and other birth defects have been linked to the virus in French Polynesia, Brazil, Colombia, Panama, and elsewhere.CDC officials said they worked independently of the WHO. It does not mean, however, that all women who have Zika virus infection during pregnancy will have babies with problems. Researchers and health officials said there is still much they do not know about the risks of the virus. The case doesn’t change the CDC’s guidelines on preventing sexual transmission of Zika, report coauthor John Brooks of the agency’s division of HIV/AIDS prevention told STAT. The authors of the study are from the CDC and the Dallas County Health Department. Five other countries-Argentina, Chile, France, Italy, and New Zealand-have also reported sexual transmission cases. In both cases, authorities are clear: the virus can be spread via unprotected sex.
As the weather warms up and more mosquitoes start to come out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is fielding more questions about the Zika virus. However, it is not established clearly that the infection spreads from semen, any bodily fluid, say pre-ejaculate or saliva from the infected person could be responsible for the transmission of Zika virus infection.
Advertisement
WHO on February 1, 2016, declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern regarding clusters of microcephaly cases and neurological disorders in some areas affected by Zika virus.
