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Zika virus

CDC: 14 new reports of possible sexually transmitted Zika virus

Mary Bowerman
USA TODAY Network
In this Feb. 11, 2016 photo, a nurse measures a baby's head during a routine medical examination at a medical center near Petare neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela.  Preventing the Zika virus' spread in the absence of a public campaign in a Venezuela where the health care system is near collapse means the people most at risk, the poor, don't even know about the epidemic.

Officials are investigating 14 new reports of possible sexual transmission of the Zika virus in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

Several of the cases involve pregnant women, whose only means of infection was through a male partner who had recently traveled to an area with Zika virus, according to the CDC.

“In all events for which information is available, travelers were men and reported symptom onset was within two weeks before the non-traveling female partner’s symptoms began,” the CDC said in a statement.

According to the CDC, there is no evidence that women can sexually transmit the disease to their sex partners.

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Although scientists have known for some time that Zika can be transmitted through sex by semen, the vast majority of cases are spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes, much like malaria or West Nile virus.

Earlier this month, a case was confirmed in Texas, spurring the CDC to release guidelines on preventing sexual transmission of the virus.

Men who have lived in or traveled to areas with the Zika virus should wear condoms or abstain from sex if they have a pregnant sexual partner for the entire duration of the pregnancy, according to the CDC.

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Although Zika infections are usually mild and deaths are rare, health authorities are concerned because of a link between the disease and a sharp increase in birth defects in Brazil.

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In this Feb. 11, 2016 photo, a nurse measures a baby's head during a routine medical examination at a medical center near Petare neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela.  Preventing the Zika virus' spread in the absence of a public campaign in a Venezuela where the health care system is near collapse means the people most at risk, the poor, don't even know about the epidemic.

The majority of people with Zika virus have no symptoms. Those who do become ill typically have mild symptoms: fever, rash, headache, joint pain and pink eye, according to the World Health Organization.

Zika is spreading among mosquitoes and residents of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as American Samoa.

Follow @MaryBowerman on Twitter. 

Contributing: Liz Szabo 

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