Zika: Texas reports case of sexually-transmitted virus

There have been six confirmed travel-related cases of Zika virus disease, all among residents of Harris County, where Houston is located, the Texas Department of State Health Services said.

Health officials on Tuesday reported that a person in Texas has become infected with the Zika virus through sex in the first case of the illness being transmitted within the United States amid the current outbreak in Latin America. The National Center of Biotechnology Information also reported that an American scientist who contracted Zika in Senegal in 2008 transmitted the virus to his wife after his return. Investigators have been exploring the possibility the virus also can be spread through sex. “Patients are highly encouraged to follow prevention recommendations to avoid transmitting and spreading Zika virus”.

The Dallas County case is unusual in that the virus is most often spread through mosquito bites. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a statement saying lab tests confirmed the non-traveler was infected with Zika.

“Education and awareness is crucial in preventing Zika virus”, said Dr. Christopher Perkins, DCHHS medical director/health authority.

According to the Irish Times, well-placed sources have said that one confirmed case and one suspected case are now under investigation and are understood to be a man and a woman who returned to Ireland from overseas.

“After a review of the evidence, the committee advised that the clusters of microcephaly and other neurological complications constitute an extraordinary event and public health threat to other parts of the world”, WHO Director General Margaret Chan said.

Until recently, few people had heard of Zika as the disease was rare and found mainly in small pockets of Africa, and as Lifehacker noted, “a few island nations”.

There’s not a specific medication available to treat it and there’s not a vaccine.

No details about the Dallas County patients were released for privacy reasons.

The WHO estimates there will be more than 4 million cases of Zika infection this year.