Pregnant women should abstain from sex or use protection if their partner recently traveled to an area that has the Zika virus, according to new advice from federal health officials.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new advice for pregnant women Friday in the wake of a woman contracting the Zika virus after having sex with an infected person in Dallas.
Officials are very concerned about pregnant women becoming infected with Zika due to a potential link to a birth defect that causes babies to have small heads. Zika is also potentially linked to the paralysis condition Guillain-Barre syndrome.
“This is a new phenomenon,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden during a call with reporters Thursday. “It has been more than 50 years since a viral cause of a significant birth abnormality. We are learning more every day.”
Frieden reiterated that pregnant women or women of child-bearing age should postpone travel to countries where Zika is spreading, as a travel advisory has reached nearly 30 countries.
A pregnant woman who has traveled to an affected area should be tested for the virus between two and 12 weeks after returning, the CDC added.
The new guidance from the CDC says that pregnant women should use a condom or abstain from sex if their partner traveled to an affected country. The disease is primarily spread through mosquito bites, but health officials are on edge after the Texas woman became infected during sex.
The Zika virus lasts in blood for about a week, but the CDC is unsure how long it lasts in semen.
Frieden also acknowledged a Friday report from Brazil scientists who warned pregnant women to avoid kissing people after Zika was found in saliva and urine samples, according to ABC News.
“We take all reports seriously. We would need more information about that report,” he said.
Frieden emphasized that the primary mode of transmission for Zika is still through a mosquito bite.
Meanwhile, the American Red Cross is concerned about the spread of Zika through a blood transfusion. It has called for a 24-day deferral period for anybody who recently traveled to a Zika-affected country who wants to donate blood.
A majority of the countries where Zika is fast spreading are in central and Southern America.
The U.S. currently has more than 30 cases, with nearly all stemming from someone who traveled to another affected country. Florida Gov. Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency in the four states where residents have been diagnosed with Zika.
The Texas case is the only one so far where the virus has spread from person to person.
The CDC has issued a travel advisory for pregnant women and women of child-bearing age for about 30 countries and territories, primarily in central and South America. Frieden said the list will grow if the virus pops up in more countries.
Frieden also blasted a recent Associated Press report that said the United Nations and U.S. officials were not getting the samples they need to examine Zika from Brazil, a country hit hard by the outbreak.
“That is not the reality that we have right now,” Frieden said. “We have a team in Brazil and another team going down next week. We have had specimens from the Brazilians in our laboratories.”
