Two cases of Zika virus in Dallas County, one acquired sexually

American health officials in Texas say they’ve confirmed what appears to be the first case of Zika virus transmitted through sexual intercourse in the country.

Zika was thought to be spread through bites of the mosquito of the Aedes genus, making sexual contact as a mode of transmission a potentially alarming development.

And now the Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) suggests the same thing has caused one individual, who hadn’t travelled outside the U.S., to become infected. The mosquito is a vector for the proliferation of the Zika virus now spreading throughout Latin America. It is also the first case of the virus being contracted on USA mainland.

So far, the Illinois Department of Public Health has reported three cases of Zika virus in Illinois in people who have returned from travel in places where Zika is circulating.

The CDC issued a travel advisory last week warning pregnant women to avoid 14 countries and territories affected by the virus. Researchers aren’t sure how long Zika can remain in semen, or when people with the virus are most likely to infect another person.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared an worldwide emergency over the Zika virus.

The director of the CDC told CNN: “The virus is in the blood for about a week”.

“There is a concern that even if they don’t have symptoms, the virus can cross the placenta, and can affect the fetus”, Johnson said.

The Zika virus, transmitted by the aggressive Aedes aegypti mosquito, has now spread to at least 24 countries.

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has called on governments not to imposed travel restrictions following the outbreak of the Zika virus.

A woman walks away from her apartment as health workers fumigate the Altos del Cerro neighbourhood against the Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases in Soyapango, El Salvador January 21, 2016.

“If you’re pregnant when you’re infected with it, your baby could be born with a small head, known as microcephaly, and that can be devastating because there’s no fixing that”, said Dr. Gregory Juckett of Park Ridge Health.

“Next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually-transmitted infections”, he warned.