Men should wear condoms after visiting Zika hotspots: CDC

Spain has confirmed that a pregnant woman has been diagnosed with the Zika virus, the first reported case in Europe.

But there’s been mounting evidence linking Zika infection in pregnant women to a birth defect called microcephaly, in which a newborn’s head is unusually small and the brain may not develop properly.

Brazil has been hardest hit by Zika with over 4,000 cases of infants with severe birth defects which could be linked to the virus.

The Voice of America reported this week that the type of mosquito that carries the Zika virus, the Aedes aegypti, has been found previously in DC.

Besides the Texas case, there are only two other scientific reports related to possible sexual transmission of Zika, the CDC said. Zika was discovered in a Ugandan forest in 1947 and until previous year, the virus had never caused serious disease.

CDC also advises that pregnant women postpone travel to any area where the virus is being transmitted, and that those who have traveled to one of the endemic countries and have two or more symptoms within two weeks of travel should be tested.

A Brazilian research team formed by the public health research institution Ossa Crud Foundation said it had discovered traces of the virus in the saliva and urine of infected patients who had already displayed symptoms of the disease. “Just because the virus is present in saliva does not mean it can be transmitted that way”.

In addition to widening its testing guidelines, the CDC noted the possibility of sexual transmission.

“Pregnant women should consider avoiding travel to countries with the Zika virus – or if travel is unavoidable, they ought to seek travel health advice from their GP or a travel clinic well in advance of their trip”. The World Health Organisation announced yesterday that it will seek $25?million (pounds 17.3?million) for a six-month programme to fight the virus, including money for studies on whether it is spread by sex or blood transfusions.

“Because there now is no vaccine or treatment for Zika virus, the best way to avoid Zika virus infection is to prevent mosquito bites”, it said in a statement.

Agencies are not yet banning travel in affected regions outright, but the American Red Cross and Canadian Blood Services have instituted blood donation delays for those returning from places where Zika is known to spread.