Sex and Zika Virus: More Cases Reported in United States

Health officials were investigating 14 new reports of Zika virus being transmitted by sex in the United States, including several involving pregnant women, as researchers continue to learn about the mysterious illness and how it spreads.

All 14 cases involved a male partner who had traveled to an affected country and showed symptoms two weeks before his female partner, who hadn’t traveled, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention press release said.

In two of the cases, infection by Zika virus was confirmed in a woman who had sexual contact with an infected man, and preliminary laboratory testing showed the disease in four other cases, according to the release.

The virus is primarily transmitted via mosquitos, but new evidence is emerging that men can pass Zika along to their sexual partners through their semen, the CDC says.

The first confirmed case of Zika transmission through sex was reported in Dallas, Texas, earlier this month.

Not much is known definitively about the virus, which has prompted travel advisories to several Central and South American countries where Zika is prevalent.

But Zika is believed to be particularly dangerous for pregnant women. It has been linked to serious birth defects and “other poor pregnancy outcomes” in babies of infected mothers, according to the CDC.

Otherwise, the virus is relatively minor, with one in five infected people showing symptoms, the CDC says, which include rash, fever and joint pain. Symptoms only last for up to a week after being bitten by a mosquito, according to the CDC. The virus remains in a person’s blood for about a week but can stay longer in semen, the CDC says.

The CDC has reported 82 cases of Zika in the United States from people who were bitten by mosquitos while traveling in an affected country. No incidents of the disease spreading via mosquitos in the United States have been reported.

To avoid the virus, pregnant women or women hoping to become pregnant shouldn’t travel to any countries on the CDC’s advisory list. For people with male sexual partners who have traveled to those countries, the CDC says to use condoms during all types of sex, or don’t have sex at all.

Anyone who is traveling should take all available steps to avoid mosquito bites like wearing long-sleeve clothing, using insect repellant and sleeping with a mosquito net.

Patch has reached out to the CDC for more information, and we’ll let you know when we hear back.