On top of mosquitoes, turns out you also need to worry about the birds and the bees. The New England Journal of Medicine got down and dirty last week with the story of a Paris couple and their sex life.
There were lots of words you don’t usually find in the esteemed NEJM, but here’s the takeaway: A woman contracted Zika through oral sex. And as of Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have logged 11 cases of sexually transmitted Zika in the United States. In each case, only men transmitted the virus to their partners.
“There is no indication yet of female to male or female to female,” said Dr. John T. Brooks, a CDC epidemiologist specializing in HIV/AIDS, who’s been researching Zika.
That’s something of a relief, but what if you want to have sex with a man? Or perhaps you’re a man who wants to have sex? Doctors acknowledge they don’t know much about this virus. “Who even heard of Zika a few months ago?” asks Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an infectious disease specialist with North Shore University Hospital.
Well put. Still, here’s what we know about Zika and sexual transmission, according to health professionals.
How can sexually active people stay Zika-free?
You can still have sex but a condom is more important than ever. Of course the only sure-fire way to avoid the virus is abstinence.
Can Zika be spread through kissing?
No. Nor can it be transmitted through sharing a toothbrush or eating off the same plate. There’s no evidence that it can be transmitted through saliva.
What about deep kissing?
Extremely unlikely. “If it were transmitted through saliva, then women could give it to men,” Brooks said.
So it can be spread through oral, vaginal and anal sex?
Yes. Anywhere semen can go, Zika can go with it.
How long does the virus stay in the body?
It clears from the blood stream within a week, but can linger in semen for two months. That means if you get infected through a mosquito bite, you’re a vector for the insects for a week. An infected man, however, is a vector for people for up to two months.
What special precautions should a couple take if a woman is already pregnant?
Abstain or use condoms through the duration of the pregnancy.
How is someone most likely to contract Zika?
Through a mosquito that carries the virus.
By: Jaqueline Cutler (New York Daily News).
Photo: CNN.
Review: Emerging Market Formulations &
Research Unit, FLAGSHIP RECORDS.
For The #FacebookTeam