The US government’s Centres for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed that a patient in Dallas, Texas, had been infected with Zika from a sexual liaison rather than a mosquito bite.
The patient in Dallas had not travelled to an area affected by Zika but their partner had recently returned from Venezuela, which has been affected by the virus.
The first two cases of Zika have also been confirmed in Ireland, although both individuals are known to have travelled to areas affected by the disease.
Zika has been linked to an increased incidence of microcephaly in newborn babies in Brazil, which causes them to be born with abnormally small heads and affects brain development.
The World Health Organisation has declared Zika as a global health emergency due to its spread around the Americas.
First sexually-transmitted Zika case confirmed
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