CDC outlines guidance to reduce sexual transmission of Zika

Authorities in Brazil said on Friday Zika has been detected in patients’ saliva and urine, adding to the concern over the spread of the virus, while US officials offered new guidance on sex for people returning from Zika-hit regions.

“But that does not mean there is a capacity for transmission through saliva and urine”, he added.

Fiocruz, as the foundation is informally known, made the discovery after analyzing samples from two patients and carrying out a partial genome sequencing of the virus, said Paulo Gadelha, president of the foundation.

It’s also monitoring the local mosquito population, although she said it is unlikely they will find a mosquito infected with the Zika virus.

In response to the Zika virus outbreak in Central and South America, the Public Health Agency of Canada has responded by issuing a travel health notice January 15 on the Zika virus, advising Canadian travellers visiting affected areas to protect themselves against the virus by taking individual protective measures to prevent mosquito bites.

Brazil is investigating more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size that can cause permanent brain damage in newborns, that may be linked to Zika.

Brazil, the country hardest hit by Zika, is grappling with the virus even as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August. However, the World Health Organization on Thursday advised countries not to accept blood donations from people who have been in Zika-prevalent countries.

Meanwhile, in the first case of its kind in Europe, Spain’s health ministry said a pregnant woman who had returned from Colombia had been diagnosed with the virus.

For women who aren’t pregnant and men with sex partners who are not pregnant but who live in or have traveled to regions with Zika transmission, the agency says precautions can also be taken. About 1 in 5 people have symptoms, including fever, rash, joint pain, or red eyes.

The CDC’s counterpart in England, Public Health England, has recommended that women whose partners have traveled to a Zika-affected area avoid getting pregnant for 28 days after a male partner’s return, assuming he is not showing symptoms of the disease.

Health officials and scientists are still struggling to determine which of the cases of microcephaly have a definitive correlation with a Zika infection.

CDC chief Frieden said the suspected link appears “stronger and stronger” as researchers study whether there is a causal connection.

The Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday that the limited number of testing kits for the detection of Zika virus infection will only be used for those manifesting real symptoms of the disease.

Frieden and other US health officials are due to testify before Congress next Wednesday on the Zika threat.