the zika virus continues to spread... withthe world health organization estimating it could infect four-million people in the americasthis year alone. health officials initially said the spreadwas limited to mosquitos bites... but a case confirmed in the u.s. suggests otherwise.bruce harrison joins me live in the studio. bruce, it now appears the virus can be spreadthrough sexual intercourse? connyoung, this is the first known case ofzika virus transmission in the united states... and federal health officials say it was likelythrough sex. and where it occurred, in the state of texas... local health officials saidthere were no reports of virus transmission by mosquitoes.
bruce, the virus has been linked to severebirth defects in thousands of babies in brazil... and the world health organization has calledit a world emergency. how sure are researchers that sex is in fact a conduit for the disease? health officials haven't said with 100-percentcertainty -- that this person now has the virus because of sex. but doctors at the centersfor disease control and prevention seem confident that's the case. the center's laboratory confirmed two people,a couple, both have the infection... but only one of them recently traveled outside of thecountry. "with zika we don't know exactly how longsomeone can remain infectious but in this
case as we understand it, someone had justgotten sick with zika. and that individual's sexual partner then developed zika withouta travel history." the texas department of state health servicessays the case is still being evaluated... but sexual transmission is likely the causeof infection. according to the who, the virus causes a mildfever and skin rash that could last around a week in most people. but in pregnant women,the virus has been linked to microcephaly -- a condition that causes underdevelopedbrains in babies.
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