“Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others”, said Zachary Thompson, director of the Dallas County Health Department.
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The CDC has recommended that pregnant women postpone trips to countries with Zika outbreaks, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, though Frieden any country where reports of the virus are confirmed will be added to the list of affected areas.
Since 2012, there have been 23 cases of Zika virus infection reported in Australia, all of whom were infected overseas.
Last year, no locally acquired cases of chikungunya were reported, though 73 people picked up the virus while traveling.
Miami Dade, Lee, Hillsborough, Santa Rosa and Broward County are all under close watch because of cases of the Zika virus.
The World Health Organization on Tuesday declared Zika a global public health emergency after it was linked to brain deformities in babies in South America.
The suspected link between the Zika virus and a birth defect known as microcephaly appears “stronger and stronger” as researchers study whether there is a causal connection, the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. The state has about 500 tests on hand.
The case seemed to confirm two earlier scientific reports suggesting sexual transmission of Zika is possible although considered rare.
It is primarily transmitted by mosquitoes.
One mosquito bite can spread the Zika virus in the country, the health department’s regional chief warned. That may change as the seasons change, though.
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Dr. Schaffner said the CDC was being “very conservative” with its update, and that in the future the agency might make a more blanket statement for all people with sexual partners who have visited affected countries. However, the link between Zika and microcephaly is as yet unproven. There is no specific treatment for Zika, and several pharmaceutical companies are developing vaccines against it. “Every European country in which Aedes mosquitoes are present can be at risk”. Experts say the best way to stop its spread is to controlling the population of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries dengue fever.
