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Zika can be sexually transmitted from women to men, CDC reports

Zika can be sexually transmitted from women to men, CDC reports

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The first documented case of the Zika virus being sexually transmitted from a woman to a man has been reported in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Given that Zika has already been confirmed to be sexually transmittable (although sexual transmission of the virus is rare), the news is not that surprising. The CDC suggests Zika can also be sexually transmitted from woman to woman, although no cases have been confirmed.

Given that it's an STD, it's not that surprising

Zika still poses the greatest risk to pregnant women. The virus has been confirmed to cause microcephaly, a condition that causes babies to be born with abnormally small heads. Since January 2007, 39 countries have reported the presence of Zika, according to the World Health Organization, but the virus began to spread more rapidly after making its way to Brazil in 2015. In February of this year, the CDC announced that up to nine pregnant women in the US had been infected.

In the New York City case, the woman, who was not pregnant, had recently traveled to an area with an "ongoing Zika virus transmission," according to the CDC. The report provides the first documented proof that the virus can be transmitted through vaginal fluid. Earlier this year Zika was reported to have been sexually transmitted between two men for the first time.

In light of this report, the CDC is recommending that all pregnant women use a barrier method during sex, and the agency is currently updating its recommendations for sexually active couples who are not pregnant and not planning on getting pregnant.