First case of dengue spread by sex confirmed

MADRID – Spanish health authorities confirmed Friday a case of a man spreading dengue through sex, a world first for a virus which until recently was thought to be transmitted only by mosquitos.

The case concerns a 41-year-old man from Madrid who contracted dengue after having sex with his male partner who picked up the virus from a mosquito bite during a trip to Cuba, said Susana Jimenez of the Madrid region’s public health department.

His dengue infection was confirmed in September and it puzzled doctors

because he had not traveled to a country where the disease, which causes severe flu-like symptoms such as high fever and body aches, is common, she added.

“His partner presented the same symptoms as him but lighter around 10 days earlier, and he had previously visited Cuba and the Dominican Republic,” Jimenez said.

“An analysis of their sperm was carried out and it revealed that not only did they have dengue but that it was exactly the same virus which circulates in Cuba.”

A “likely” case of sexual transmission of dengue between a man and a woman was the subject of a recent scientific article in South Corea, Jimenez said.

In an e-mail sent to AFP, the Stockholm-based European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which monitors health and disease in Europe, said this was “to our knowledge, the first sexual transmission of the dengue


virus among men who have sex with men.”

According to the World Health Organization’s website, dengue is transmitted mainly by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which thrives in densely-populated tropical climates and breeds in stagnant pools of water.

It is most serious – and deadly – in children, especially young girls, though scientists don’t know why.

Dengue is most commonly caught by people traveling to hotter climates such as southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, the Caribbean and South and Central America.

source: philstar.com

Hong Kong confirms first Zika case

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of Zika, putting the Asian financial center on high alert for any spread of the mosquito-borne virus that has wreaked havoc in Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond.

At a media conference late on Thursday, Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Leung Ting-hung, said relevant measures had been taken to prevent the virus from spreading further.

He said the government's priority was controlling the mosquito population in Hong Kong.

"The patient is a 38-year-old woman with good past health. She has developed joint pain and red eyes since August 20," the department of health said in a statement.

It said it would report the case to the World Health Organization.

In February, a mainland Chinese man who flew into Hong Kong was diagnosed as having the Zika virus, according to local broadcaster RTHK, citing officials as saying there was little chance he could have caused an outbreak during his brief stay.

Zika was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.

source: interaksyon.com

2nd Korean Zika case reported

MANILA - South Korea has recorded its second case of Zika virus infection, involving a man who had a history of travel to the Philippines.

News agency Xinhua reported that the 20-year-old man claimed to have been bitten by mosquitoes while staying in the Philippines for five days through April 14.

The man developed symptoms of flu on April 20, and started manifesting rashes two days later.

It was the second  Zika case in South Korea since a 43-year-old man was diagnosed with the virus on March 22.

Department of Health Secretary Janette Garin said the new case has been confirmed by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

Garin said the patient is well and not in the Philippines anymore.

She added that those who came in contact with him in the country were not manifesting symptoms.

In March, a woman was diagnosed with Zika virus in the United States after having traveled to the Philippines.

source: interaksyon.com

Dengue cases on the rise in Brunei due to rainy season

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - The Ministry of Health (MoH) has reminded the public to be wary of mosquito-borne diseases, especially during the current rainy season, as the reported number of dengue cases was on the rise in Brunei.

The MoH, in a statement released on Sunday, said that in 2012, a total of 290 cases of dengue fever were recorded while for this year, a total of 349 cases have been reported up to Oct. 12.

Mosquitoes are vectors for diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, chikungunya, filiriasis and Japanese encephalitis, the MoH said.

A similar increase has been reported in other countries in the region and it was found to be associated with a higher volume of rainfall that caused increasing occurrence of water stagnation where mosquitoes breed rapidly.

The public is advised to take on a number of preventative measures, including wiping out mosquito breeding sites and seeking medical treatment when showing any listed symptoms.

Mosquitoes are known to breed in pools of stagnant water in places such as flower vases, clogged drains, plastic bottles and used tires, among others.

Most of the dengue fever cases in Brunei Darussalam were reported in the Brunei-Muara District, with only a small number in the other districts.

source: interaksyon.com