[Aju News DB]
Usual case of a Zika virus infection involves a traveler, who had visited a virus infected country, and getting sick. But according to Texas health officials’ report, a non-traveler living in the U.S. was found infected with the virus. This was a very unusual case since Zika virus is known to spread by mosquito bites. After a few confusing tests and research, the health authority found out how the person got infected without visiting the infected countries.
Dallas County Health and Human Services reported that the infection was caused by the person living in U.S. having sex with a partner who had recently visited Venezuela. Zika virus was suspected that it could be transmitted sexually, but only one case was confirmed in 2008.
The county department said in a press release, "Case details are being evaluated, but the possibility of sexual transmission from an infected person to a non-infected person is likely in this case."
Zika virus usually causes mild illness, with the most common symptoms of fever, rash, and red eyes. It is rarely fatal and usually lasts for about a week. But when pregnant are infected, it causes microcephaly, which affects the fetus’s growth, resulting in giving births to infants with abnormally small heads. An infant suffering microcephaly has limited brain functions.
The cases of microcephaly have been soaring. In Brazil alone, over 4,000 cases were reported since October 2015. Before the outbreak, an annual average of cases reported was around 250.
World Health Organization (WHO) announced last week that over 23 countries are in danger of having overrun by the virus, and also warned the world to raise awareness. Some Central and South American countries’ government issued warnings against its citizens, suggesting women not to get pregnant.
Fear and concerns are rising over the Zika virus since there’s no specific medication or a vaccine available. The virus was first spotted in the Pacific Islands nearly 50 years ago, but nobody gave much attention then. Pharmaceutical experts say that at least ten to fifteen years will take to develop and commercialize the medication.
아주경제 박세진 기자 = swatchsjp@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
