After criticism, Brazil transferring Zika samples to US

The main method of infection is via mosquito bites, but scientists are investigating all other possibilities.

Scientists at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, a public health institute, said they used genetic testing to identify the virus in samples from two patients while they had symptoms and were known to have Zika, the mosquito-borne viral infection that has sparked a global health scare.

The CDC is warning pregnant women against travel to affected areas, and health officials in several of the affected countries are telling women there to avoid becoming pregnant.

Williams stressed that although the virus is spreading rapidly throughout Central and South America, mosquitoes that carry the virus are not now found in the United States.

“I think we need to be careful that don’t we jump to any conclusions about transmissibility”, Anthony Fauci, who leads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during an interview on NPR’s Morning Edition.

CDC chief Frieden said the suspected link appears “stronger and stronger” as researchers study whether there is a causal connection. As for men with partners who are not pregnant, they should “consider” abstinence or condom use if they visit or live in a Zika-affected country.

Although the Zika virus stays in a person’s blood for only up to a week after the individual is infected, it’s unknown how long the virus could stay in a man’s semen.

Queensland Health public health physician Dr Andrew Langley said the fact the Coast had only a handful of dengue cases a year also indicated that the capacity for a local Zika outbreak was limited. But Colombian Health Minister Alejandro Gaviria said the apparent risk of deadly complications was “worrying”.

If you’ve read, seen or have heard anything about the Zika virus, odds are you also came across the word microcephaly – the birth defect being linked to the virus.

At this time, there is no treatment or vaccine for the Zika virus. The condition has been linked to microcephaly in newborns in countries stricken with the virus, but it’s not clear if the illness causes the birth defect.

“Not everyone who wants a test will be able to get it, but we’re working as fast as we can”, Frieden said. Any pregnant women showing symptoms should be tested, the agency said.

Health officials had previously reported isolated instances of the virus being passed via blood transfusions and sexual contact, including a US case reported this week.

“Consistent and correct use of latex condoms reduces the risk of sexual transmission of many infections, including those caused by other viruses”.