The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has revised its guidelines on dealing with Zika virus. It is now telling men who have been to areas with outbreaks of the Zika virus to consistently use condoms during sex with pregnant women. It is now recommending that all pregnant women, even those without symptoms of the Zika virus, should be tested after returning from affected areas.
The new guidelines recommend that pregnant women be offered Zika testing by their doctors 2 to 12 weeks after they return from places where the virus has infected people. The CDC had suggested testing only for those woman who were experiencing symptoms of infection. Because 80% of those infected by the virus show no symptoms, that could leave many pregnant women with no way of knowing if their pregnancy is affected in time to make an informed choice about their unborn child.
Infection with Zika virus during pregnancy has been linked with microcephaly, a serious birth defect where the head and brain are underdeveloped. This link has not been confirmed but is considered a very strong possibility and has prompted health officials to take cautionary steps to protect fetuses from the virus.
"We just don't know. We're always going to err on the side of safety," said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden, during a telephone press conference.
The virus can also be spread sexually. Health officials said a person in Texas who had not traveled to an outbreak area was infected through sex. It was the first time that Zika had spread within the United States.
The virus is believed to remain in an infected person's blood for a week or less.
Two weeks ago, the CDC recommended that pregnant women postpone trips to countries with Zika outbreaks, which are occurring in Central and South America and the Caribbean. All travelers are advised to use insect repellent and take other precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Researchers also are investigating a possible link between Zika infection and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition that involves temporary paralysis.