CDC: 14 more USA reports of possible Zika spread through sex

Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong announced the cases in his daily Zika update.

The CDC recommends that all travelers use insect repellent while in Zika outbreak areas, and continue to use it for three weeks after travel in case they might be infected but not sick.

Officials said the same scenario played out in most, if not all, of the suspected cases: A man who had traveled to a Zika-affected area returned the United States and had sex with a female partner, who soon began to display symptoms consistent with Zika.

Miami-Dade County leads the state with 11 reported cases.

While sexual transmission of the virus is possible, health authorities note that the primary means of infection by the Zika virus is still from mosquito bites, and they urge people to prevent mosquito bites using mosquito repellent, window screens, and long-sleeved shirts.

“We do not know if infected men who never develop symptoms can have Zika virus in their semen”, or transmit the virus through sex, the CDC reports.

Officials at the CDC reported the potential cases in an alert to health care providers on Tuesday (Feb 23).

Doctors had known Zika could be spread by sexual transmission.

The Zika virus outbreak continually spread all throughout Latin America putting pregnant women in danger.

Earlier this month, a case was confirmed in Texas, spurring the CDC to release guidelines on preventing sexual transmission of the virus.

Countries throughout the region have launched massive operations to eliminate pools of stagnant water where the mosquitoes, which also spread dengue and chikungunya viruses, can breed.

Governor Rick Scott has now requested the Center for Disease Control send 250 additional Zika antibody tests to Florida.

“Now that all these birth defects and associated conditions have come out, Zika is turning into a game-changer”, said Gonzalo Vazquez-Prokopec, an assistant professor in Emory University’s Department of Environmental Sciences.

Of the 32 confirmed cases statewide, health officials said only three people are still showing symptoms, which typically include a fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes that can last from a few days to one week. The WHO still cautions that more investigation is needed to better understand the relationship between microcephaly in babies and the Zika virus outbreak.