Any Kind of Sex Can Spread Zika, CDC Says in Latest Guidance

Zika virus has exploded across the Americas, carried mostly by mosquitoes but also, to the surprise of doctors, by person-to-person contact

Any kind of sex can spread the Zika virus, federal health officials said Monday in updated guidance for pregnant women.

And doctors need to ask all pregnant women about any chance they could have been infected with Zika, either through sex, travel or via mosquito bite, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated Zika guidelines.

Several recent new cases show that just about any kind of sexual contact can spread the virus, the CDC said. "Sexual exposure includes vaginal sex, anal sex, oral sex, or other activities that might expose a sex partner to genital secretions," it says in the new guidance.

Zika virus has exploded across the Americas, carried mostly by mosquitoes but also, to the surprise of doctors, by person-to-person contact. Most people don't even get sick, but there is a huge risk to unborn babies, NBC News reported.

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