US
health authorities on Friday urged people to use condoms or refrain
from sex if they live in or have traveled to areas where the Zika virus
is circulating.
The new interim guidelines from the US
Centers from Disease Control are aimed at pregnant women and their
partners, and those of childbearing age who are concerned about Zika, a
primarily mosquito-borne virus which has been linked to birth defects.
Earlier this week, US health officials
confirmed the first case of sexually-transmitted Zika, involving a
person who had traveled to Venezuela and infected a sexual partner in
Texas upon return.
“Men with a pregnant sex partner who
reside in or have traveled to an area of active Zika virus transmission
and their pregnant sex partners should consistently and correctly use
condoms during sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) or abstain from sexual
activity for the duration of the pregnancy,” said the CDC.
“Consistent and correct use of
latex condoms reduces the risk of sexual transmission of many
infections, including those caused by other viruses.”
The CDC urged couples in which a partner
is not pregnant to “consider using condoms consistently and correctly
during sex or abstaining from sexual activity.”
“The science is not clear on how long the risk should be avoided,” added the CDC statement.
“Research is now underway to answer this
question as soon as possible. If you are trying to get pregnant, you
may consider testing in discussion with your health care provider.”
Meanwhile in Brazil, the nation’s top
research institute said that Zika has been detected in urine and saliva,
but added that there was no proof the virus could be transmitted
through those fluids.
Thousands of children in Brazil have
been born with shrunken heads in the past year — a birth defect that
some research suggests could result from Zika infection.
AFP
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