Sexual transmission of the Zika virus appears to be more common than previously thought, according to the World Health Organization.
The global health body convened a team of experts to examine the virus, which has spread to more than 50 countries and territories around the world. The WHO noted that since Zika was declared an emergency last month, more information on its link with birth defects and a neurological disorder has emerged.
So has information on the sexual transmission of the virus. The virus is primarily transmitted through a mosquito bite, but the uptick in sexually transmitted cases has the WHO worried.
“Reports and investigations from several countries strongly suggest that sexual transmission of the virus is more common than previously assumed,” said Margaret Chan, director of the WHO, during a press conference in Geneva Tuesday.
The U.S. is investigating 14 cases of potential sexual transmission, and one was confirmed in Dallas last month. There are more than 150 cases in the U.S. but almost all are people who went to a country where the virus is spreading and returned to the U.S.
Chan added that cases of Zika from travelers returning from an affected country have been reported “from every region in the world.”
There is an “increasing strength of evidence” showing a likely link between Zika and birth defects and the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause temporary paralysis, Chan said. Zika has been linked to microcephaly, which causes babies to be born with very small heads and cases of stillbirth and miscarriage.
The team of experts said more studies need to be done to confirm the link, but “stressed their view that strong public health actions should not wait for definitive scientific proof,” Chan said.
