Dallas: 1st case of Zika passed on sexually

Dallas, Feb 3: The first case of Zika virus being transmitted sexually has been registered in Dallas, Texas. A person has been diagnosed with the virus after having sex with an ill person who had returned from South America.

Zachary Thompson, director of the Dallas County Health and Human Services said,"It's very rare but this is not new, we always looked at the point that this could be transmitted sexually."

Citing privacy policies, health officials did not name teh infected person or the name of the primary carrier of the virus. The Zika virus is spread by mosquito bites, but investigators have been exploring the possibility of the virus spreading through sex. IN fact, there have been reports of a Colorado researcher who had picked up he virus in Africa and had transmitted it to his wife in 2008. The virus was also found in one man's semen in Tahiti.

Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control said,"That gives you the plausibility of spread, but the science is clear to date that Zika virus is primarily transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito."

The CDC, meanwhile has issued guidelines to safe sex or postpone pregnency if in contact with an infected person.

OneIndia News