Reports: Zika Virus Also Transmitted Through Male To Female Sexual Contact

DETROIT (WWJ) - The Centers for Disease Control report 618 cases of Zika virus infections in the US -- four of those in Michigan. All cases have been travel related.

Health officials are urging residents to protect themselves if traveling to an area where the virus is present.

Most people infected by the Zika virus won't have a problem, they may not realize they have it or have mild symptoms for a few days, like fever, fatigue, and eye irritation says WWJ health reporter Dr. Deanna Lites.

But a bite from a mosquito carrying the Zika virus is different for a pregnant woman.

If she's been bitten by an infected mosquito or gets the virus sexually, she can pass the virus to her unborn baby resulting in severe brain defects.

The Zika virus was first discovered in the late 1940's in Uganda but came to national attention last year with an increase in babies born with small heads or microcephaly in Brazil.

Dr. Robert Welch is director of maternal and fetal medicine with the Detroit Medical Center.

"We think that the Aedes mosquito has been found as far north as Cleveland -- there's no reason why it can't blow across Lake Erie and get to Detroit," said Welch.

The Zika virus is mainly transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito.

But Welch notes that the virus is also being sexually transmitted from male to female, "we don't know whether it transmits the other way or not."

In the U.S. these mosquitoes tend to be in the southern part of the country but are expanding.

Protect yourself from mosquito bites by using an insect repellent with deet, wear protective clothing: long sleeved shirts, pants and socks, and remove standing water where mosquitoes breed.