Following the first reported occurrence of female-to-male sexual transmission, the CDC expanded its prevention guidance for pregnant couples, which had focused exclusively on men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the case Friday and updated its advice for pregnant women.
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Most people who contract Zika show no symptoms, but common side-effects include fever, joint ache and red eyes. But infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects. This condition might increase the amount of virus in sexual excretions, though cases of male transmission without hematospermia have been reported too.
The woman in her 20s, who remains unidentified, had sex with her partner after returning from a country with the Zika virus. The next day she developed fatigue, fever, rash, back pain, and swelling in the hands and feet. The effects of Zika virus infection can be devastating.
In one case, the virus was spread a few days before symptoms developed. The pair had vaginal intercourse only, no oral or anal sex. The tests were positive, showing the presence of virus in her blood and urine. Both she and her partner recovered, Brooks says.
The woman began menstruating the day after they had sex.
If the virus was passed along through vaginal fluid, there is very little information on how long it might persist there or how great the risk of transmission during intercourse is.
The CDC has recommended that pregnant women avoid travel to areas with ongoing Zika transmission. Fourteen, reportedly, acquired it from sex with travelers; this is among over 1,300 people in the 50 states and the District of Columbia who have been diagnosed.
And U.S. health officials have said they expect to see Zika infections in Gulf Coast states such as Florida, Louisiana and Texas as the summer mosquito season picks up. While no Zika cases have been tied to mosquitoes in the continental United States, health authorities are monitoring domestic populations of the insect.
Other research has hinted at the possibility of females spreading the virus through sex. The agency also said it is updating its guidelines on preventing Zika transmission through sex.
Some experts said the case isn’t surprising.
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About 600 pregnant women have tested positive for the Zika virus in the US, with about half of those women living in Puerto Rico or other territories. Up until now, the only likely route of sexual transmission found was male-to-female or male-to-male. Earlier this year Zika was reported to have been sexually transmitted between two men for the first time.
