U.S. reports first female-to-male Zika transmission

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Friday it has documented the first case of the mosquito-borne Zika virus being transmitted from one woman to her male partner during sex in New York City.

"The New York City report of female-to-male sexual transmission of Zika virus infection is the first documented case of sexual transmission of Zika from a woman to her sex partner and adds to the growing body of knowledge about the sexual transmission of Zika," the CDC said in a statement.

"All previously reported cases of sexually transmitted Zika virus infection have been spread from men to their sex partners," it said.

The woman, who was nonpregnant and in her twenties, had condomless sex with her male partner, also in his twenties, the day she returned to New York City from travel to an area with ongoing Zika virus transmission, the CDC reported in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

She had headache and abdominal cramping while in the airport awaiting return to the U.S. and developed symptoms including fever, fatigue, a maculopapular rash and back pain the following day.

Then, she visited her primary care provider who obtained blood and urine specimens, in which the Zika virus was detected.

Days later, her male partner, who had not traveled outside the U.S. this year, developed fever, a maculopapular rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis and blood and urine tests showed he had been infected with the Zika virus.

The CDC continued to recommend that all pregnant women who have a sex partner who has traveled to or resides in an area with Zika use barrier methods every time they have sex or they should not have sex during the pregnancy.

"Although no cases of woman-to-woman Zika transmission have been reported, these recommendations now also apply to female sex partners of pregnant women," the U.S. agency added.