Canada confirms first case of sexually-transmitted Zika virus

Zee Media Bureau

Toronto: Canada has confirmed its first positive case of sexually-transmitted Zika virus in an Ontario resident on Monday.

The patient, whose identity was not disclosed, is suspected to have contracted the disease from his sexual partner who was infected by the virus after travelling to an affected country.

Canada's Public Health Agency confirmed the infection after a testing at National Microbiology Laboratory which was still investigating another suspected case of sexually-transmitted Zika, Xinhua news agency reported.

Altogether 55 Canadians have been confirmed positive with infection of Zika virus, all of whom were infected while travelling to regions where the disease is spreading. Among them are two pregnant women from British Columbia.

Bites of infected mosquitoes are the main way the Zika virus spreads. Symptoms can include mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache, normally last for 2-7 days.

Since there is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available, the best form of prevention is protection against mosquito bites.

Canada has no confirmed cases of locally acquired Zika virus through mosquitoes, and the overall risk in this country remains low, said the agency.

The agency suggested pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy should avoid travel to countries with ongoing Zika virus outbreaks.

If travel cannot be avoided or postponed, strict mosquito bite prevention measures should be taken, given the association between Zika virus infection and increased risk of serious health effects on a fetus, it added.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has said that Zika cases in Argentina, Chile, France, Italy and New Zealand are likely caused by sexual transmission, even as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also investigating cases of possible sexual transmission.

(With IANS inputs)