
CDC Releases New Zika Virus Guidance as New Sexual Transmission Information Emerges
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its interim guidance for “pre-pregnancy counseling” for Zika virus, just as new information regarding sexual transmission of the infection has been made available.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its interim guidance for “pre-pregnancy counseling” for Zika virus, just as new information regarding sexual transmission of the infection has been made available.
Among other provisions, the revised CDC guidance suggests that men with possible Zika exposure but no virus symptoms wait at least 6 months after their last possible exposure before “attempting pregnancy with their partner.” It is also recommended that these men use condoms during this time to prevent sexual transmission of the virus. In a statement released with the guidance update, the CDC said it based its new recommendations on its “ongoing assessment of available data.”
Some of that data likely appears in a series of studies published in the October issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases, much of which is devoted to Zika virus-related research. In fact, a
Another paper published in the same issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases
“The viral persistence in semen is of major concern and could be related to a viral tropism for male sexual cells,” the authors write.
In a
Researchers at the Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid, meanwhile, described a
“Although the woman might have acquired Zika virus by mosquito bite, the incubation period if this is the case would be exceptionally long, so sexual transmission from her partner is definitely a possibility,” they write. “Sexual transmission of Zika virus infection from a vasectomized man has not previously been reported.”
As new information continues to emerge regarding sexual transmission of Zika virus and the disease’s effect on pregnant women and their babies, the CDC has focused renewed attention on prevention in pregnant women and women who plan to become pregnant. Of the more than 25,000 Zika cases in the United States and its territories, 2,300 have involved pregnant women, and 22 babies have been born with microcephaly, a birth defect associated with the virus, and have tested positive for Zika, the CDC reports.
CDC director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, said recently that the agency’s partnership with Colombia’s Instituto Nacional de Salud on a study designed to assess the effects of Zika on babies born to pregnant women infected with the virus should shed new light on how birth defects such as microcephaly develop and, ultimately, how they can be prevented. The study has, to date, enrolled more than 1,000 pregnant women.
“There’s a lot we still don’t know about the long-term problems caused by Zika congenital syndrome,” Dr. Frieden said on a recent conference call with reporters. The study, he added, will be supported with some of the $1.1 billion in Zika funds recently approved by Congress.
Brian P. Dunleavy is a medical writer and editor based in New York. His work has appeared in numerous healthcare-related publications. He is the former editor of Infectious Disease Special Edition.
Newsletter
Stay ahead of emerging infectious disease threats with expert insights and breaking research. Subscribe now to get updates delivered straight to your inbox.