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First Case of Zika Virus Hits the US through Sexual Contact

CBN

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A person in Texas has been infected with the Zika virus through sexual contact, according to Dallas County health officials.

The unidentified person has not traveled to the affected areas but had sex with a person who returned from Venezuela with the illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed the lab test results. Dallas County health officials are following the case.

The CDC will issue guidance in the coming days on prevention of sexual transmission of the Zika virus.

This is considered the first case of the illness being transmitted within the United States.

The virus, which has been linked to birth defects in the Americas, is primarily spread through mosquito bites. But investigators have been exploring the possibility it could be sexually transmitted.

Meanwhile, World Health Organization officials say it could be six to nine months before science proves or disproves any connection between the Zika virus and babies born with abnormally small heads.

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