CDC Tells Men Who've Been in Zika Areas to Use Condoms

If they have sex with a pregnant woman, or maybe even a not-pregnant one
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 5, 2016 2:02 PM CST
CDC Tells Men Who've Been in Zika Areas to Use Condoms
This January 2016 microscope image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the Zika virus.   (Cynthia Goldsmith/CDC via AP)

US health officials on Friday said men who have been to a Zika outbreak region should use condoms if they have sex with a pregnant woman—for the entire duration of the pregnancy. The guidance also said the men might consider abstaining or using condoms even during sex with a woman who isn't pregnant, the AP reports. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed that the Zika virus, which has become a concern because of a possible link with a birth defect in Brazil, is still mainly spread by mosquitoes, but there have been reports of contraction through sex and blood transfusions.

The health agency also on Friday updated its guidelines for testing and monitoring pregnant women who have traveled to Zika areas. In the US, there have been about 50 cases of travelers diagnosed with the virus, including three pregnant women. The CDC has recommended that pregnant women postpone trips to countries with Zika outbreaks, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean. All travelers are advised to use insect repellent and take other steps to avoid mosquito bites. (More Zika virus stories.)

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