First U.S. Zika virus transmission reported, attributed to sex.
The first known case of
Zika virus transmission in the United States was
reported in Texas on Tuesday by local health officials,
who said it likely was contracted through sex and not
a mosquito bite, a day after the World Health
Organization declared an international public health
emergency.
The virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands
of babies in Brazil, is spreading rapidly in the
Americas, and WHO officials on Tuesday expressed
concern that it could hit Africa and Asia as well. Zika
had been thought to be spread by the bite of
mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, so sexual contact as
a mode of transmission would be a potentially
alarming development.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
confirmed it was the first U.S. Zika case in someone
who had not traveled abroad in the current outbreak,
said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden on Twitter.
However, the CDC has not investigated how the virus
was transmitted.
After this case, the CDC advised men to consider
using condoms after traveling to areas with the Zika
virus. Pregnant women should avoid contact with
semen from men exposed to the virus.
The Dallas County Department of health said on
Twitter that the person was infected through sexual
contact with someone who had traveled to
Venezuela. The person infected did not travel to the
South American country, county health officials said.
The Texas Department of State Health Services was
slightly more cautious in its assessment, saying in a
statement, "Case details are being evaluated, but the
possibility of sexual transmission from an infected
person to a non-infected person is likely in this case."
County authorities said there were no reports of the
virus being transmitted by mosquitoes in the Texas
county.
Previously, international health officials had noted
one U.S. case of possible person-to-person sexual
transmission. But the Pan American Health
Organization said more evidence was needed to
confirm sexual contact as a means of Zika
transmission. The medical literature also has one
case in which the virus was detected in semen.
The virus has been reported in more than 30
countries and linked to microcephaly, in which
babies have abnormally small heads and improperly
developed brains.
The American Red Cross on Tuesday asked blood
donors who have traveled to Zika virus outbreak
areas such as Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central or
South America to wait at least 28 days before
donating. However, the risk of transmitting the virus
through blood donations remained "extremely" low
in the continental United States, the disaster relief
agency said.
The Dow Jones transportation average ended 2.9
percent lower following news of the first U.S.
transmission of the Zika virus.
Zika virus transmission in the United States was
reported in Texas on Tuesday by local health officials,
who said it likely was contracted through sex and not
a mosquito bite, a day after the World Health
Organization declared an international public health
emergency.
The virus, linked to severe birth defects in thousands
of babies in Brazil, is spreading rapidly in the
Americas, and WHO officials on Tuesday expressed
concern that it could hit Africa and Asia as well. Zika
had been thought to be spread by the bite of
mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, so sexual contact as
a mode of transmission would be a potentially
alarming development.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
confirmed it was the first U.S. Zika case in someone
who had not traveled abroad in the current outbreak,
said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden on Twitter.
However, the CDC has not investigated how the virus
was transmitted.
After this case, the CDC advised men to consider
using condoms after traveling to areas with the Zika
virus. Pregnant women should avoid contact with
semen from men exposed to the virus.
The Dallas County Department of health said on
Twitter that the person was infected through sexual
contact with someone who had traveled to
Venezuela. The person infected did not travel to the
South American country, county health officials said.
The Texas Department of State Health Services was
slightly more cautious in its assessment, saying in a
statement, "Case details are being evaluated, but the
possibility of sexual transmission from an infected
person to a non-infected person is likely in this case."
County authorities said there were no reports of the
virus being transmitted by mosquitoes in the Texas
county.
Previously, international health officials had noted
one U.S. case of possible person-to-person sexual
transmission. But the Pan American Health
Organization said more evidence was needed to
confirm sexual contact as a means of Zika
transmission. The medical literature also has one
case in which the virus was detected in semen.
The virus has been reported in more than 30
countries and linked to microcephaly, in which
babies have abnormally small heads and improperly
developed brains.
The American Red Cross on Tuesday asked blood
donors who have traveled to Zika virus outbreak
areas such as Mexico, the Caribbean, or Central or
South America to wait at least 28 days before
donating. However, the risk of transmitting the virus
through blood donations remained "extremely" low
in the continental United States, the disaster relief
agency said.
The Dow Jones transportation average ended 2.9
percent lower following news of the first U.S.
transmission of the Zika virus.
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