The mosquito-borne Zika virus, linked to an epidemic of birth defects in Brazil, is spreading quickly throughout the Americas. A case of sexually transmitted Zika in the United States and the possibility of getting the virus through blood transfusions are creating the latest concerns.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern." Here is the latest on what you need to know:
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An employee of the Health Secretariat fumigates against the Aedes aegypti mosquito to prevent the spread of the Zika, Chikungunya and Dengue in Acapulco, Guerrero State, Mexico on February 2, 2016.
Q: CAN YOU GET ZIKA THROUGH A BLOOD TRANSFUSION?
A: Yes. Brazil has reported that two people have gotten Zika through a blood transfusion. Blood suppliers can't screen the blood supply for Zika because there's no commercial test for it. However, the risk of contracting Zika from a blood transfusion in the continental USA is extremely low because the virus is not spreading among local mosquitoes.
Q: ARE BLOOD BANKS TAKING PRECAUTIONS?
A: Yes. The American Red Cross is asking people to avoid donating blood if they've traveled to Zika-affected areas in the past 28 days. The American Association of Blood Banks issued a similar recommendation. Canadian Blood Services is barring people from giving blood within 21 days of traveling outside Canada, the continental USA and Europe.
Q. HOW SERIOUS IS THE RISK OF SEXUAL TRANSMISSION?
A. Scientists have known since 2008 Zika can be transmitted through sex, but they say such transmission is extremely rare. Doctors aren't sure if a person needs to be sick with obvious symptoms in order to spread the virus through semen.
Health officials in Texas on Tuesday confirmed a case of sexually transmitted Zika. The WHO said the case is cause for concern and requires further investigation, but said mosquitoes are the most common means of transmission and should be the primary focus for disease control.
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Q: HOW CAN PEOPLE REDUCE THE RISK OF SEXUAL TRANSMISSION?
A: Using condoms and practicing safe sex reduces the risk of sexual transmission of Zika.
Q: HOW LONG DOES ZIKA LAST IN BLOOD OR SEMEN?
A: Zika stays in the blood for about a week. Mosquitoes can only pick up the virus if they bite someone during this time. Scientists don't know how long Zika can live in semen.
Q: WHAT IS THE ZIKA VIRUS?
A: Zika virus appeared for the first time in 1947 in Uganda. For decades, health experts considered it a minor-league virus that, until recently, was limited to a narrow belt of equatorial Africa and Asia.
Q: HOW DOES IT SPREAD?
A: The Aedes mosquito spreads Zika. Unlike the flu, it does not spread from person to person. Mosquitoes that bite an infected person can spread it to future victims.
Q: WHEN AND WHERE DID THIS CURRENT OUTBREAK BEGIN?
A: Zika was first detected in Brazil in May. Researchers suspect the virus may have arrived in South America during the 2014 World Cup Games that drew millions of fans to Brazil. Zika usually causes no symptoms, which could explain why the first cases of illness weren't reported the country until the following year.
Q: WHERE IS THE VIRUS CURRENTLY SPREADING?
A: Zika is now in at least 25 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Q. HAS ZIKA REACHED THE CONTINENTAL USA YET?
A. Yes and no. More than 30 Americans have been diagnosed with Zika after returning from visits to countries with Zika outbreaks. These travel-related cases pose a very low risk for spreading. In one case, a resident of the Dallas area contracted Zika virus from a sexual partner who had visited Venezuela. Health officials aren't including the continental USA in their list of outbreak countries because the virus is not entrenched in local mosquito populations.
Q: ARE THERE CONCERNS THIS SUMMER'S OLYMPICS COULD SPREAD THE VIRUS WIDER?
A: Brazil's hosting of the Games could give mosquitoes a chance to infe
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