Biologist works with genetically modified mosquitoes on February 11, 2016 in Campinas, Brazil. (Photo : Getty Images/Victor Moriyama)
The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fears the newfound deadly dangers from the fast-spreading Zika virus.
A new study reveals that the virus causes severe brain damage in developing babies and confirmed the first case of the sexually transmitted Zika virus on April 14, Thursday. According to the health officials, the first case is said to be between two gay men.
The case first came to light in January, as a Dallas man has been reported contracting the virus while traveling in Venezuela, wherein the virus is rife. According to the local media, the man's partner of 10 years has also developed the virus' symptoms shortly.
Now, the health officials confirmed that both Dallas men had the virus through a series of blood tests, adding that sexual contact was the most likely cause of the second man's infection. The health officials then cautioned the public by highlighting how the virus can be transmitted through anal and vaginal sex.
"Sexual transmission through both vaginal and anal sex is an emerging mode of Zika virus infection that might contribute to more illness than was anticipated when the outbreak was first recognized," The Daily Mail quoted CDC's representative as saying.
The CDC also urges the clinicians and health providers to remain vigilant for any associated cases of Zika virus, particularly those who engaged in unprotected sexual contact with a person who has traveled to an area where the virus transmission is dynamic.
Earlier this week, CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden cautioned mothers who are infected with the infected, stating that they are at high risk of giving birth to babies with Microcephaly, an uncommon birth defect where a child is born with an abnormally small head and extreme brain damage.
Nonetheless, the CDC also noted that there is still much that needs to be learned about Zika's effect on the fetal development as no one knows its accurate danger of brain-related birth defects to the child. Dr. Sonja Rasmussen pointed out that some Zika-infected woman has seemingly given birth to healthy babies, Medline Plus has learned.
Apart from that, the World Health Organization (WHO) already announced in February that Zika seemingly brings about Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare and serious disorder that may result in paralysis, to an individual.
Stay tuned for more news and updates. Check out the video below for more information:
