Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Health & Wellness

First case of sexually transmitted dengue confirmed in Spain

Health authorities confirmed a case of a man spreading dengue through sex. This is a world first for a virus which – until recently – was largely thought to be transmitted only by mosquitos.

Photo by Егор Камелев from Unsplash.com

No, getting bitten by mosquitos isn’t the only way you can get dengue.

In Spain, health authorities confirmed a case of a man spreading dengue through sex. This is a world first for a virus which – until recently – was largely thought to be transmitted only by mosquitos.

The case involves a 41-year-old man from Madrid who contracted dengue after having sex with his male partner, who got the virus from a mosquito bite during a trip to Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

When the man’s dengue infection was confirmed in September, it puzzled doctors because he had not traveled to a country where the disease is common. An analysis of the sperm of the two men was carried out and it revealed that not only did they have dengue, but that it was exactly the same virus which circulates in Cuba.

Dengue is transmitted mainly by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which grows in number in densely-populated tropical climates, such as the Philippines.

Though it kills 10,000 people a year and infects over 100 million, the disease is fatal only in extreme cases, though symptoms are extremely unpleasant, including high fever, severe headaches and vomiting. It is particularly serious – and deadly – in children.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health reported a total of 271,480 dengue cases from January to August 31 this year, prompting it to declare a national dengue epidemic. As of end-August, an estimated 1,107 people have died of dengue in the country.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Like Us On Facebook

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

POZ

Overall, 10.5% of current clinicians reported that they would be leaving HIV care in the next five years while another 7.3% said they would...

Travel

Effective November 1, people in Germany aged 18 and older will be able to change their names and genders in their official records, or...

Love Affairs

A person’s body produced less cortisol in moments when their partner reported higher positive emotions than usual. This effect was even stronger than when...

#KaraniwangLGBT

As soon as Sela’s second child was born, she knew her daughter was different. With the child eventually diagnosed to have Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia...

Advertisement