Sexually-transmitted Zika case confirmed in Texas

Officials say the patient was infected with the virus after having sexual contact with an ill individual who returned from a country where Zika virus is present.

Texas health officials have reported the first case in which the Zika virus, which has been rapidly spreading throughout Central and South America, had been transmitted to a non-traveler in the US since a fast-moving outbreak of the virus began sometime in 2015.

World Health Organization today urged Southeast Asian countries and India to strengthen surveillance and take preventive measures against Zika virus, especially as the mosquito responsible for its spread is found in many areas of the region.

“CDC has confirmed through laboratory testing the first USA case of Zika virus infection in a non-traveler in the continental United States”, the agency said in the statement.

Nine total cases of Zika virus have been confirmed in Florida as of Tuesday, including six new cases just this week, according to the Florida Department of Health.

“While nearly all cases of Zika virus are acquired via mosquito bites, one case of sexual transmission of Zika virus has been reported internationally, however the risk of sexual transmission of Zika virus is thought to be extremely low”.

Medical experts warn the virus has “explosive” pandemic potential. Africa and Asia are also seen as being vulnerable. It said the pair had mild cases of the virus and had recovered.

In 2008, the CDC had a patient who was infected with Zika virus in southeastern Senegal.

“The best way to avoid Zika virus is to avoid mosquito bites and to avoid sexual contact with a person who has Zika virus.”

She has recounted what Latin America’s most populous country had done since the outbreak was detected past year, such as sending troops to spray areas infested by mosquitoes.

Strong suspicion that Zika leads to severe brain defects in newborns prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global public health emergency on Monday before the Dallas STD confirmation, reported The Washington Post. Public health officials are bracing for the time when warmer weather increases the number of mosquitoes that can transmit the virus by biting an infected person and spreading it to others.

Sanofi has launched a project to develop a vaccine against Zika, the most decisive commitment yet by a major vaccine producer to fight the disease.

Brazil, which has 3,700 suspected cases of microcephaly that may be linked to Zika, is scheduled to host the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August.

The types of mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, are common in Florida, where mosquito season is year-round, and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, including Houston.

Authorities said the 22-year-old Thai man is likely to have caught the same strain of the virus that has caused panic in countries such as Brazil and Colombia.