It looks like the first known and recorded case of Zika virus transmission in the United States has occurred today over in Texas, and local health officials claim that the mode of transmission is most likely though sex and not attributed to a mosquito bite. The Zika virus has definitely made waves worldwide in recent memory as it has been linked to severe birth defects in thousands of babies throughout Brazil, spreading like wildfire in the Americas, with WHO being rightly concerned that it will spread to Africa and Asia to boot. Originally thought to be spread by the bite of the Aedes mosquito, it seems that sexual contact being a mode of transmission is also a red alert.
Confirmation of the first Zika case recorded in the US was received from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Apparently, the person was infected via sexual contact with someone who was in Venezuela earlier on, as the infected person did not travel there. Of course, the Texas Department of State Health Services remained rather cautious of the situation, citing, “Case details are being evaluated, but the possibility of sexual transmission from an infected person to a non-infected person is likely in this case.”
What do you think of this mode of transmission? If proven to be true, it looks like the battle against the Zika virus has become all the more serious.
Filed in .. Source: reuters