Zika virus has been transmitted sexually, not by a mosquito bite in Texas reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. This is the first known case of the virus being locally acquired in the continental United States.
The infected patient in Dallas, Texas had sex with a person who returned from Venezuela and was infected with the mosquito-borne virus.
The CDC says it will soon provide guidance on sexual transmission,”Sexual partners can protect each other by using condoms to prevent spreading sexually transmitted infections. People who have Zika virus infection can protect others by preventing additional mosquito bites.”
Zika is carried by mosquitoes and has been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains. World Health Organization has declared the virus a global public health emergency.
Two cases of the Zika virus have been confirmed in Australia. The residents of Sydney had recently returned from the Caribbean and are infected said the officials.
Zika has now spread to at least 24 countries. The WHO has estimated that 3 million to 4 million people across the America will be infected with the virus in the next year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning pregnant women against travel to infected areas; health officials in several of those countries are telling female citizens to avoid becoming pregnant, at least for two years.