The study was published September 6 in the journal Cell Reports. And now they can add one more big one: the Zika virus.
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It says men and women who have been infected and their sexual partners should receive information about the risks of sexual transmission of the virus; get counselling on safer sexual practices; and be offered condoms.
This is a huge change to the WHO’s prior guidance in June, which only applied to men who were not showing symptoms, and suggested abstaining or practicing safe sex for a mere eight weeks after travel to an area where Zika is now circulating.
The World Health Organization on Tuesday fine-tuned its advice on measures people should take to prevent the sexual transmission of the Zika virus, adopting a more cautious approach. The agency is now recommending that visitors abstain from sex or have only protected sex for at least six months after returning. Scientists said then that more studies were necessary to definitively determine whether the Culex could transmit Zika. He said the CDC will update its guidance when the review is complete.
Officials in Thailand, meanwhile, say the country is on high alert for Zika, after two women in the capital of Bangkok were diagnosed with the virus.
“While most Americans have a general understanding of the Zika virus, too many people are not yet knowledgeable about the nuanced issues with the virus”, said Caitlin Oppenheimer, Senior Vice President for Public Health Research at NORC. Another possible route, known to be rare but possible for Ebola transmission, is to enter the surface of the eye via tears.
The guidance applies if an individual has no symptoms.
Authorities in Florida have found the Zika virus in trapped mosquitoes, the first time this has happened in the continental US. Even if the sad salty tears of humans turn out not to be infectious, the researchers’ detection of live virus in the eye and viral RNA in tears still has practical benefits.
“Even though we didn’t find live virus in mouse tears, that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be infectious in humans”, said Dr. Jonathan Miner of Washington University in St. Louis, who led the study.
The virus’s link to microcephaly among babies born to infected mothers was deemed to be a public health emergency of worldwide concern by WHO earlier this year.
“Our study suggests that the eye could be a reservoir for Zika virus”, said Michael S. Diamond, Professor at the Washington University. Some researchers are also considering whether other bodily fluids may play a role. Moreover, the experiment on lab mice could be used in testing anti-Zika drugs.
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The seven new local Zika cases announced by the Florida Department of Health (Florida Health) today include six cases linked to the Miami Beach active transmission area, which were confirmed on Sep 2 when state offices were closed due to Hurricane Hermine.
