USA reports first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus

A rare case of the Zika virus being
transmitted through sex, not a
mosquito bite, has been reported in
the US. A patient infected in Dallas,
Texas, is likely to have been infected
by sexual contact. The person’s
partner just
returned from Venezuela.
Zika is carried by mosquitoes and has
been linked to thousands of babies
being born with underdeveloped
brains. It is spreading through the
Americas and the WHO has declared
the disease linked to the virus a global
public health emergency.
2 cases of the Zika virus have also
been confirmed in Australia. Officials
said the two Sydney residents had
recently returned from the Caribbean.
Zika infections are usually mild and
deaths are rare but it’s linked with a
sharp increase in birth defects.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
recommends that pregnant women
avoid travel to more than two dozen
countries with Zika outbreaks, mostly
in the Caribbean and Latin America,
including Venezuela.