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Zika virus update: most important info
In our previous newsletter we reported on the spread of the Zika virus. The Female Health Company responded by donating 30.000 female condoms and training materials to Honduras, El Salvador and Columbia and continues to be in touch with local partners about further action. Zika, a sexually transmittable disease that is also carried by mosquitoes, has been linked to microcephaly, a rare disease that causes abnormally small heads and underdeveloped brains in newborn babies. The world is slowly learning about the effects of the virus, the way it functions, and how to prevent it. There is a lot we still don’t know. But one thing we do know is that the most effective way to prevent Zika transmission for sexually active adults is by using female or male condoms. Here’s a recap of the most important info:
Sexual transmission of Zika is possible and more common than initially thought
Late sexual transmission of Zika is related to persistence in semen (The virus can persist in semen for up to 62 days after the beginning of the infection, according to The Lancet via Share-Net international)
W.H.O.’s advice is to delay pregnancy in areas with Zika transmission (Current advice is to delay pregnancy for at least 8 weeks, also after having visited a country that has been infected)
W.H.O. recommends safer sexual practices. They include postponing sexual debut; non-penetrative sex; correct and consistent use of male or female condoms; and reducing the number of sexual partners
See here for the W.H.O. interim guidance update and here for their strategic response plan, June 2016
Find W.H.O. recommendations in other languages here
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