While the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which transmit Zika are not found in Canada,  Canadians must take precautions when travelling and upon their return from countries where they are endemic, warn health officials.

While the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which transmit Zika are not found in Canada, Canadians must take precautions when travelling and upon their return from countries where they are endemic, warn health officials.
Photo Credit: Felipe Dana/Canadian Press/file Jan 27, 2016

First case of sexually-transmitted Zika in Canada

Officials report that, for the first time, someone in Canada has contracted the Zika virus from a sexual partner who got it after travelling to an affected country.  The Public Health Agency of Canada repeated that there have been no confirmed cases of Zika acquired from mosquitoes in Canada and that the kind of insect transmitting the virus is not established here and is not well-suited to the climate.

Zika in pregnant women can cause their babies to be born with small heads and part of the brain missing, and the virus can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome and other neurological disorders.

Sexual transmission ‘to be expected’

While the main way to be infected with Zika is through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, sexual transmission “is to be expected given that a small number of cases have been reported elsewhere in the world,” says the agency.

People returning from Zika-affected countries and their sexual partners need to take precautions, it warns.  Women should wait at least two months after they have returned before trying to conceive a child.

Condom use recommended

The virus can persist in the semen of infected males and they may have had no symptoms. So, the agency recommends that returning men use condoms with all partners for six months. If their partner is pregnant, it recommends the use of condoms for the duration of the pregnancy.

There remain many unanswered questions about the Zika virus, says the agency news release, adding that it is working to monitor the situation and will update recommendations as new evidence is discovered.

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