The mosquito-borne Zika virus has begun appearing in North America, with recent numbers released by

The mosquito-borne Zika virus has begun appearing in North America, with recent numbers released by the New York Department of Health indicating over 233 cases in New York City alone since January. Though most of the New York cases are believed to be travel-related (mainly from those recently in the Dominican Republic), at least two cases in New York State are thought to be the result of sexual transmission. Nine other countries have also reported Zika infections in people who had not traveled to distinct outbreak areas but who had sexual contact with others who had. According to the CDC, all known cases of sexual Zika transmission have been male to female and have been caused by either vaginal, anal, or oral sex without a condom. This type of transmission is particularly worrisome since men do not necessarily need to exhibit symptoms at the time of transmission. On the CDC’s page on Zika and Sexual transmission, they state that there is a lot that we still do not know about Zika and sex:We don’t know if men with Zika who never develop symptoms have the virus in their semen or if they can pass Zika through sex.We don’t know if a woman with Zika can pass the virus to her sex partners.We don’t know if Zika can be passed through vaginal fluids during vaginal or oral (mouth-to-vagina) sex.We don’t know if Zika can be passed through saliva during kissing.We don’t know if sexual transmission of Zika poses a different risk of birth defects than mosquito-borne transmission.Despite a impasse in congressional funding, Zika sex research has begun in the U.S.. Reuters recently reported that “Borrowing money earmarked for other programs, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has started enrolling men infected with Zika in Brazil and Colombia in the study to determine how long the virus remains transmittable in semen. The study could take years to complete, but interim results could help public health officials fine-tune their recommendations on sex.“We are going out on a limb, but we have to,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. institute, said in an interview. “We can’t say we’re going to wait until we get all the money.””Read more about the rash of Zika Cases in NYC in The New York Times here. Read more about the sexual transmission of Zika at the CDC here. Read more about the U. S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases research in Reuters here.  -- source link

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