MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The blood transfusions on a gunshot victim and a patient getting a liver transplant were conducted in early 2015, but the transmission of Zika was only recently confirmed, the newspaper said.
The Zika virus affects primarily monkeys and humans and is transmitted by daytime-active mosquitos. On Tuesday, the CDC said on its website that transmission through blood transfusions and sexual intercourse had also been reported.
Zika does not cause serious complications in adults, but it can lead to severe brain defects in newborns.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Zika virus outbreak a public health emergency.
At present, there is no vaccine available to treat the Zika virus.
Last week, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff stressed that the fight against Zika should focus on the extermination of mosquito breeding sites.
Health workers in Brazil have been spraying insecticide in Brazil’s major cities this week, trying to destroy mosquitoes that spread Zika.
