CDC: Link between Zika, microcephaly looks “stronger and stronger”

To date, there have been no reports of sexual transmission of Zika virus from infected women to their sex partners.

“Finally, Zika reminds us that over and over nature is a formidable enemy”, he said.

“The meaning of this discovery still must be clarified”, he said. “The key point is that women should have the choice and (make) informed decisions”, she said.

But experts say that the million-plus suspected cases in the Americas have been contained to areas where the mosquito is found, suggesting it does not spread easily through other means.

The virus is not known to be circulating in the mosquito population in in Kentucky. So far, no cases have originated in the USA, but the federal government is asking people to consider abstaining from sex to stop the spread of the virus.

It cites three cases of infected males showing symptoms who transmitted the virus.

There has been no documented case of a woman infecting a man through sexual activity.

The CDC said men with a pregnant partner who live in or have traveled to an area of active Zika transmission should use condoms during sex with their partner or abstain from sex for the duration of the pregnancy.

The virus is thought to remain in an infected person’s blood for a week or less. In most people, it causes mild or no symptoms. However, the virus has been associated with a worrying rise in a birth defect, called microcephaly, in Brazil.

“In addition, asymptomatic pregnant women who have traveled to Zika-affected areas should be tested for the Zika virus between 2-12 weeks post travel”.

“The priority is protecting pregnant women”, Frieden told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta in an interview.

If you have recently returned from an area affected by a Zika virus outbreak, you might not know if you have it yet.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Zika virus a world health emergency on Monday, amid fears the virus causes microcephaly, a birth defect that causes abnormally small heads and brain damage in newborns.

Active Zika virus has been detected in saliva and urine, a Brazilian public health institute said Friday, posing new questions for researchers trying to understand how the virus could spread.

Two transmissions of the Zika virus via blood transfusions have been recorded in Brazil, according to health officials. “They’re requested the physicians, nurse practitioners and other healthcare providers to test people as soon as they show up with any symptoms”.

“Because it’s new and so severe, it’s scary, especially for women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy”, said Frieden.

He spoke Friday at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro.

It did not release the woman’s name, saying she was one of seven confirmed cases in Spain.