The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified the first sexually-transmitted case of the Zika virus, confirming for the first time that the spread of the virus is not limited to mosquitoes.
Dallas County Health and Human Services said the patient was infected with the virus after having sexual contact with an ill individual who returned from a country where Zika is present. Other details about the case were not disclosed because of medical confidentiality and personal privacy reasons.
“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,” said Zachary Thompson, the director of Dallas County Health and Human Services. “Next to abstinence, condoms are the best prevention method against any sexually-transmitted infections.”
On Monday, the World Health Organization declared the spread of the Zika virus in the Americas to be a global health emergency, calling for a coordinated international response to the mosquito-transmitted virus.
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