Live Zika virus extracted from patient's semen in Korea
The latest finding by Korean researchers on the Zika virus shed new light on a possible transmission route.
However, the Korean CDC's announcement that it had already made the discovery but didn't make its findings public... raises questions about the individual right to privacy versus public health concerns.
Lee Minyoung has this report.
A live Zika virus has been extracted from a patient's semen for the first time in Korea.
A research team at Seoul National University hospital says they have detected and separated a living sample from a Korean patient through genetic testing.
The paper was published Friday by the Journal of Korean Medical Science.
The researchers say their findings support evidence that sexual transmission is a powerful channel of infection,... and it shows Zika is not just a problem facing other countries.
This runs counter to the common belief that Zika was transmissible only through mosquito bites or blood transfusions.
The researchers also said the findings underscore the importance of taking preventive measures, such as abstaining from unprotected sex for a certain period of time after a diagnosis,... but added that further study is needed on the survival rate for the Zika virus in semen.
Also on Friday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention verified the researchers' finding, saying it already made the discovery but didn't make its test results public because of privacy concerns.
The number of confirmed Zika cases in Korea currently stands at five.
All of them contracted the virus while on trips outside of Korea.
Zika has been linked to microcephaly,... a condition that can cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads and under-developed brains.
Lee Minyoung, Arirang News.
However, the Korean CDC's announcement that it had already made the discovery but didn't make its findings public... raises questions about the individual right to privacy versus public health concerns.
Lee Minyoung has this report.
A live Zika virus has been extracted from a patient's semen for the first time in Korea.
A research team at Seoul National University hospital says they have detected and separated a living sample from a Korean patient through genetic testing.
The paper was published Friday by the Journal of Korean Medical Science.
The researchers say their findings support evidence that sexual transmission is a powerful channel of infection,... and it shows Zika is not just a problem facing other countries.
This runs counter to the common belief that Zika was transmissible only through mosquito bites or blood transfusions.
The researchers also said the findings underscore the importance of taking preventive measures, such as abstaining from unprotected sex for a certain period of time after a diagnosis,... but added that further study is needed on the survival rate for the Zika virus in semen.
Also on Friday, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention verified the researchers' finding, saying it already made the discovery but didn't make its test results public because of privacy concerns.
The number of confirmed Zika cases in Korea currently stands at five.
All of them contracted the virus while on trips outside of Korea.
Zika has been linked to microcephaly,... a condition that can cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads and under-developed brains.
Lee Minyoung, Arirang News.