A New Way to Catch Zika

Women may also transmit the disease sexually, a new study finds
Consumer Reports / By Jeneen Interlandi / July 15, 2016

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported the first case of Zika involving female-to-male sexual transmission. A New York woman returning from a Zika-affected country (the report did not specify which country) passed the virus to her sexual partner.

Until now, all cases of sexually-transmitted Zika have involved men passing the disease to their sexual partners. Because the virus is known to live for months in semen, making infected men chronic carriers, the CDC advises men who have been infected with or exposed to Zika to wait at least six months before having unprotected sex, especially if their partner is or is hoping to become pregnant.

By contrast, women who may have been exposed to Zika are advised to wait just eight weeks before having unprotected sex because until now, the virus has not been detected in vaginal swabs and no cases of female sexual transmission have been documented.

Today's report, combined with one earlier this week in the Lancet Infectious Disease, may soon lead to changes in those guidelines. 

As the Lancet reported, the virus was also detected in the vaginal tract of a 27-year-old French woman, where it persisted for at least 11 days after it disappeared from her blood and urine. The report's authors say that they have not tested to see how infectious the vaginal virus might be, but their findings indicate that it’s at least possible for women to harbor Zika as men do. “Our findings raise the threat of a woman potentially becoming a chronic Zika virus carrier,” the authors wrote.

The CDC and others are working to answer a long list of questions about sexually transmitted Zika infection, including how long the virus can live in semen, how long in vaginal fluid, and whether sexually transmitted Zika presents a greater or lesser risk of birth defects than transmission via mosquito.

“We have been looking at our transmission guidelines,” says CDC spokesperson Candice Hoffman, “It’s possible that they may change in the next few weeks based on recent findings.”

In most people, Zika infection is asymptomatic and largely inconsequential. But in pregnant women, it can be devastating. The virus can cross the placenta, infect the unborn fetus, and cause a range of serious problems, including congenital microcephaly, and in some cases, miscarriage.

Both Florida and New York have seen more than 200 cases of travel-related Zika infection. And Texas, New Jersey, and other states have witnessed their first cases of Zika-related microcephaly, all among travelers recently returned from Zika-affected areas. So far, no cases have been reported from mosquito bites received in the continental U.S., but experts at the CDC and elsewhere say it’s only a matter of time until such locally acquired cases emerge.

Congress is heading into recess today, and so far has not passed a Zika funding bill.

Read more about how you can, and can't catch Zika.

Zika: The Dangerous Mosquito Virus You Must Know About

Insect repellents aren't enough to stay safe from this disease

Consumer Reports / Sue Byrne / January 28, 2015 / aired on GMA February 9, 2015

A mosquito-borne illness called the Zika virus is now spreading rapidly in South and Central America and the Caribbean, and it could arrive in the U.S. soon. It can make anyone sick for up to a week with symptoms like fever, rash, joint pain, and red eyes. But it's especially dangerous for women of childbearing age who are pregnant or considering pregnancy because it has been linked to microcephaly, a serious birth defect that causes an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development.

The outbreak has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a warning to take precautions for anyone traveling to 24 destinations in the Americas, but, most important, the CDC is recommending that all pregnant women should consider postponing their trip altogether. Here's what you should know to protect yourself and your family.

Why Zika Is So Concerning

The Zika virus normally does not cause illness that requires hospitalization or leads to death. Roughly one in five people infected with the virus develop symptoms, which are usually mild. The time from getting bitten to getting sick is likely to be a few days.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reports more than 16,000 Zika illnesses since the first cases were confirmed in Brazil in October 2015. Local transmission of the virus has been confirmed through lab testing in several countries in the Americas.

"The number of cases being reported is significantly lower than the actual number of cases." says Candice Burns Hoffmann, a CDC spokeswoman. "Many countries do not regularly test for Zika virus. Also, once the outbreak becomes common in an area, most people will not go to the doctor or get tested for the virus."  

Brazil has reported 4,180 cases of microcephaly, according to The New York Times, and Colombia has reported Zika infections in 1,090 pregnant women, a spokeswoman for PAHO told Consumer Reports. In addition, Guillain-Barré syndrome, which causes muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis, has been reported in patients with a probable Zika infection in French Polynesia and Brazil. The CDC says it is examining the link between Zika and the disorder.

Because there is neither a vaccine nor medication available to prevent a Zika virus infection, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy follow CDC guidelines and delay travel to those regions where Zika outbreaks are occurring.

"There is much that we do not yet know about the Zika virus," Mark S. DeFrancesco, M.D., president of the ACOG, said in a statement. "However, because of the associated risk of microcephaly, avoiding exposure to the virus is best." Women who have traveled to South and Central America and the Caribbean should be evaluated for Zika virus infection.  

How to Prevent Bites

For those who are planning to travel in spite of the warnings, the CDC asks that pregnant women, women who are trying to become pregnant, and everyone else should strictly follow steps to protect themselves. Because the mosquitoes that spread Zika are aggressive daytime biters and live indoors and outdoors, it's especially important to follow the CDC's precautions during daylight hours.

That includes using insect repellent containing deet, picaridin, lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535. All have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for use during pregnancy. Also wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, the CDC says. At night, CDC recommends sleeping in a screened-in or air conditioned room or under a mosquito bed net.

Consumer Reports' recent tests of insect repellents found that the most effective product, Sawyer Fishermen's Formula with 20 percent picaridin, was also one of the safest, helping to keep away Aedes mosquitoes—the same type that transmit Zika—for at least 8 hours. Off Deepwoods VIII with 25 percent deet also kept Aedes mosquitoes at bay for 8 hours. Our tests showed that repellents containing natural plant oils, such as citronella and lemongrass, did not work against mosquitoes.

Two types of mosquitoes that are capable of transmitting the Zika virus live primarily 

in the southeastern U.S. Photo: Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

More Actions to Take

All cases of Zika virus in the U.S. so far have been found in returning travelers to the regions mentioned above. No one has gotten sick from being bitten in the U.S. But that may be changing as the two mosquito types known to carry the disease, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, can be found here (see maps above). If a homegrown mosquito bites an infected returning traveler it could pick up the virus and then pass it along to other people in the U.S.  

For this reason, it’s wise to use insect repellent, as noted above. You can also make it harder for mosquitoes to set up shop in your backyard. Female mosquitoes lay several hundred eggs on the walls of water-filled containers. The eggs stick like glue and remain attached until they are scrubbed off. If water covers the eggs, they hatch and become adults in about a week. To prevent them from hatching:
• Empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out items that hold water, such as tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots, or trash containers. Do this once a week.
• Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so that mosquitoes cannot get inside to lay eggs.
• Use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito if you don't have lids.

If you have a septic tank, repair cracks or gaps, and cover open vents or plumbing pipes.

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