The CDC revisited its recommendations for avoiding sexually transmitted Zika infections based on the new case, now recommending that pregnant women whose sexual partners are female use a barrier method of contraception or refrain from sex during the pregnancy.
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Health officials are investigating what they say is a “unique” case of Zika virus in which a caretaker for an elderly Salt Lake County man with Zika also contracted the virus.
Most people infected with Zika virus won’t have symptoms.
Zika virus can cause a variety of symptoms including rash and joint and muscle pain, but often carries no symptoms at all.
Zika has been linked to an increased risk of birth defects.
In the NY case, for example, several factors lined up to allow the disease to spread. The case in Utah seems to be the result of something completely different, however, say state officials. If they do not have Zika symptoms, such precautions would instead be necessary for at least eight weeks.
However, 14 patients had not traveled to Zika zones but had sex with someone who had, the CDC said.
“Utah health officials said this person was associated with the family of the person who died in late June”, said Satish Pillai, MD, incident manager for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Zika Response. But it said the patient recovered quickly.
This is the first example in the US of a person contracting Zika without going through one of two known routes: recent travel to an affected area or sexual contact with an infected person. “We don’t know in what fraction of cases those things occur, but it’s not trivial at all”, Farmer told me. This is the first U.S. case that seems to be caused by more casual, or indirect, contact. The elderly man later died, although it’s not clear if he died from Zika or another underlying condition, officials said. Other family members are also being interviewed and tested, Utah officials said.
Scientists are bewildered by a new and disturbing development involving the Zika virus in Utah, where a patient who contracted the virus recently died.
Dr. Erin Staples, an epidemiologist who is on the ground in Utah, wrote in a statement that the spread of Zika through any means other than mosquitoes “does not appear to be common”. They are also conducting a survey of mosquitos in the area to see if any are carrying the virus.
“Someone who is ill and diminished from another disease process may not fight the virus as well, or someone with a high viral load may be sicker from a high viral infection”, Bell said.
“We’re looking at all potential contacts between the deceased patient and the new case”, he said. “I think we would be most concerned at the next turn if there was a confirmed in-state transmission”.
No cases of mosquito-spread Zika have been reported in the continental United States, according to the CDC.
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Can Zika be transmitted through sexual contact?
