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LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2018 | Volume
: 39
| Issue : 1 | Page : 61-62 |
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Homosexual and Zika virus infection: Is it a new start of new problem for gay?
Pathoom Sookaromdee1, Viroj Wiwanitkit2
1 TWS Medical Center, Bangkok, Thailand
2 Department of Tropical Medicine, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
| Date of Web Publication | 21-Jun-2018 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Pathoom Sookaromdee
TWS Medical Center, Bangkok
Thailand
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijstd.IJSTD_65_16
How to cite this article:
Sookaromdee P, Wiwanitkit V. Homosexual and Zika virus infection: Is it a new start of new problem for gay?. Indian J Sex Transm Dis 2018;39:61-2 |
How to cite this URL:
Sookaromdee P, Wiwanitkit V. Homosexual and Zika virus infection: Is it a new start of new problem for gay?. Indian J Sex Transm Dis [serial online] 2018 [cited 2023 Jun 9];39:61-2. Available from: https://ijstd.org/text.asp?2018/39/1/61/234871 |
Sir,
Zika virus infection is an important arboviral disease at present. It affects South America and causes numerous infected cases. The teratogenic effect due to infection leads the concerns of the medical society, and the WHO already declares for the urgent need to manage this disease.[1] The recent important finding is on the possibility of transmission of Zika virus due to sexual contact, and the great concern is there are some reports on male-to-male transmission among gays.[2],[3] However, there is still an argument on the possibility of transmission by mosquito bite as a local transmission of the reported case. The close surveillance to update the data is required.[3] In fact, if there Zika virus can be transmitted by sexual contact, it will be very similar to the early period that HIV starts its worldwide pandemic. It is already proved that the Zika virus can be seen in semen [3],[4] and can be further contagious. Indeed, there are already some reported cases of confirmed Zika virus transmission due to homosexual contacts [5],[6] [Table 1] and [Figure 1]. Deckard et al. confirmed that “Zika virus can be transmitted through anal sex” and first demonstrated the molecular laboratory confirmation evidence.[2] For male-to-male transmission, the source of virus can be in semen, prostate fluid, seminal vesicles, fluid, or preejaculate secretions [2],[7] and the proposed mechanism of infection can be the direct invasion through anal canal, similar to the case of the direct invasion through the vaginal canal in male-to-female transmission. The awareness of Zika virus transmission by sexual contact is needed, and the homosexual contact should not be forgotten. Furthermore, gay has to be educated for the risk of possibility that Zika virus can be transmitted by homosexuality activity. | Table 1: Summary on reported cases of Zika virus transmission relating to homosexuality
Click here to view |
 | Figure 1: Map showing the countries with already reported cases of homosexuality transmission of Zika virus infections
Click here to view |
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
 References | |  |
| 1. | McCarthy M. WHO sets out $56m zika virus response plan. BMJ 2016;352:i1042.  [ PUBMED] |
| 2. | Deckard DT, Chung WM, Brooks JT, Smith JC, Woldai S, Hennessey M, et al. Male-to-male sexual transmission of zika virus – Texas, January 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:372-4. [ PUBMED] |
| 3. | Oster AM, Russell K, Stryker JE, Friedman A, Kachur RE, Petersen EE, et al. Update: Interim guidance for prevention of sexual transmission of zika virus – United states, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2016;65:323-5. [ PUBMED] |
| 4. | Musso D, Roche C, Robin E, Nhan T, Teissier A, Cao-Lormeau VM, et al. Potential sexual transmission of zika virus. Emerg Infect Dis 2015;21:359-61. |
| 5. | Atkinson B, Hearn P, Afrough B, Lumley S, Carter D, Aarons EJ, et al. Detection of zika virus in semen. Emerg Infect Dis 2016;22:940. [ PUBMED] |
| 6. | Frank C, Cadar D, Schlaphof A, Neddersen N, Günther S, Schmidt-Chanasit J, et al. Sexual transmission of zika virus in Germany, April 2016. Euro Surveill 2016;21:1107. |
| 7. | Arsuaga M, Bujalance SG, Díaz-Menéndez M, Vázquez A, Arribas JR. Probable sexual transmission of zika virus from a vasectomised man. Lancet Infect Dis 2016;16:1107. |
[Figure 1]
[Table 1]
| This article has been cited by | | 1 |
Female-to-male sexual transmssion of Zika virus infection |
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| Beuy Joob, Viroj Wiwanitkit | | Family Medicine and Community Health. 2019; 7(3): e000183 | | [Pubmed] | [DOI] | |
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