WHO concerned by report of sexual spread of Zika virus

Feb 3, 2016- A rare case of the Zika virus being transmitted through sex, not a mosquito bite, has been reported in the US.

“Eighty percent of people who are infected will have no idea at all that they have the virus”, said Dr. Christina Leonard Fahlsing, an infectious disease specialist at Spectrum Health, a not-for-profit health system based in West Michigan.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that can cause mild fever, rash and red eyes – though an estimated 80 per cent show no symptoms at all.

Dallas County health officials say the case of two people infected with the Zika virus there nearly certainly constitutes sexual transmission – something health experts knew was possible but which has only been seen to happen once.

The WHO has not recommended travel or trade bans with affected countries, but says that it is drawing up advice to pregnant women.

Alarm is mounting over the virus’ spread. Those experts agreed that a causal relationship between Zika infection during pregnancy and microcephaly is “strongly suspected” but not yet scientifically proven.

Lopes says the tests are expected to help improve the accuracy of diagnoses between the three viruses that are transmitted by the same Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Spokesman Gregory Hartl says WHO is organizing and supporting research about the mostly mosquito-borne virus and “under what conditions is it transmitted and via which routes other than the mosquito route”.

He said sex partners of people who could potentially be infected with Zika should consider using condoms for a week after their return from affected areas.

“Although Florida’s current nine Zika cases were travel-related, we have to ensure Florida is prepared and stays ahead of the spread of the Zika virus in our state”, Scott said. The biggest risk is to unborn babies, which is why public health messaging has been targeting pregnant women. The Zika virus is usually spread through mosquito bites. As an arboviral disease, Zika virus infection also is a nationally notifiable condition.

Brazil’s Butantan Institute is seeking to develop a vaccine to combat the Zika virus by adapting an existing one for dengue.

Pregnant women have therefore been advised to postpone travel to areas where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.

Zika has also highlighted the more longstanding problems of women’s reproductive rights in Latin America and the fact that abortion remains illegal in most circumstances in 18 countries of the region, including Brazil where Zika is thought to be most prevalent.

Research on a 2013 outbreak in French Polynesia, the largest known, has yielded the most information on which bodily fluids Zika hangs out in, and when.

Cape Verde, Indonesia, Thailand and islands in the French Caribbean have also reported Zika infections.

Though there could be localized US outbreaks, most likely along the Gulf Coast, federal officials said they hope the wide use of air conditioning, window screens and regular garbage collection will mitigate the risk. “The vaccine methods developed early on, before the devastating consequences of the epidemics in Brazil came to light provided us a push to accelerate vaccine development”, Dr Sumathy, Director, R&D, Bharat Biotech said.