The UK’s first case of sexually transmitted Zika has been detected, health officials believe. They said a woman was likely to have been infected with the virus by her partner, who had recently visited a Zika-hit country.
That was one of two cases of the virus seen by Public Health England (PHE) in the last week, which the body said took the total number of UK Zika diagnoses to 265 since the outbreak began in 2015, including seven pregnant women. Of those, 181 have been confirmed, PHE said in an update released on Wednesday.
“It is important to remember that the main risk relates to travellers to countries classified as high or moderate risk for Zika infection,” said professor Dilys Morgan, PHE’s Zika incident director.
Zika is usually a mild illness, though it can be particularly dangerous in pregnant women because it can cause brain damage and developmental disorders in a baby’s head. The woman believed to have been the victim of a sexually transmitted infection has since made a full recovery.
“PHE’s advice is based on the fact that our main concern is to avoid infection in pregnancy, in order to avoid risk to the unborn child,” Morgan added. Authorities say that men returning from a Zika-hit area should use a condom during sex for six months and women should do so for eight weeks.
Sexual transmission of the virus is uncommon, with only about 60 cases believed to have been seen worldwide, and the mosquito that transmits the virus is not present in the UK, PHE said.
The government’s National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) advised people to protect themselves against mosquito bites and warned pregnant women to avoid all but unavoidable travel to areas reporting high Zika transmission.
“Women who are planning to become pregnant and their partners should discuss their travel plans with their healthcare provider to assess the risk,” NaTHNaC’s director Dr Dipti Patel said.
This week, health officials in Texas declared the first case of Zika transmitted by local mosquitoes, making it the second US state to do so. The World Health Organisation has downgraded Zika from a “global health emergency”, instead defining it as an ongoing threat, like other mosquito-borne diseases.
“News that one case of sexual transmission of Zika has occurred in the UK is not unexpected. About 60 cases of sexual transmission of Zika have been reported worldwide, so we think this is quite rare,” said Prof Jimmy Whitworth of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
He told the BBC: “Discovering just how common it is for the virus to be passed during sex by a man or woman is a key focus for Zika researchers. Public Health England’s updated advice is also welcome.
“Zika virus survives in semen longer than other body fluids so recommending male travellers returning from Zika transmission countries, with or without symptoms, practise safe sex for six months is sensible.”
UK"s first case of sexually transmitted Zika detected
