WHO Releases New Guidelines on Zika Virus and Pregnancies

CDC and WHO suggest waiting 8 weeks to have sex after any exposure to Zika

The World Health Organization updated its recommendations Tuesday on pregnancy, sex and the risk of Zika virus. WHO now agrees with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which suggests waiting eight weeks after any possible exposure to Zika to have unprotected sex.

Zika's steady spread across Latin America and Pacific island nations — and its inevitable arrival in parts of the continental U.S. — has many people worried. The biggest concerns about Zika are around how the virus can be transmitted. So far, the evidence points to male semen as the source of transmission.

The virus is mostly carried by the Aedes mosquitoes, but there are several clear examples now of sexual transmission, NBC News reported.

At this point it is not clear if a woman is able to pass the virus to a male partner. For women wanting to have children in the future, there is no evidence that if they are infected now, the virus will cause birth defects later.

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