Zika Virus Now in US, Here’s How It Was Transmitted

By Fox News. A person in Texas has become infected with the Zika virus through sex, the first case of the illness being transmitted inside the United States, health officials confirmed Tuesday.

Dallas County health officials said the unidentified patient had sexual contact with an infected individual who had returned from Venezuela and fallen ill with Zika. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement saying lab tests confirmed the non-traveling patient was infected with the virus.

“Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others,” Zachary Thomson, director of DCHHS, said in a statement. “Next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually transmitted infections.”

The virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas, is primarily spread through mosquito bites, but investigators had been exploring the possibility it could be sexually transmitted. There was a report of a Colorado researcher who picked up the virus in Africa and apparently spread it to his wife back home in 2008, and it was found in one man’s semen in Tahiti. (Read more from “Zika Virus Now in US, Here’s How It Was Transmitted” HERE)

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How to Protect Yourself From Zika Virus

By Dr. Clifford Bassett. Here are some tips on how to do it:

• Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.

• Remove sources of standing water, which can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

• Remember that mosquitoes that spread Zika virus may be more likely to bite during daytime hours.

• Apply insect repellents and reapply as directed. Check with your doctor about what kinds of repellents are safe to use in pregnancy.

(Read more from “How to Protect Yourself From Zika Virus” HERE)

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