Officials: Zika spread through sex by man with no symptoms

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday reported the first case of Zika spread through sex by a man with no symptoms of the disease.

In the other 21 U.S. cases of sexual transmission, the virus was spread by someone who at some point had symptoms.

The report details the case of a Maryland man who went to the Dominican Republic, where there is a Zika outbreak. He didn’t get sick during the trip or when he returned. But his sex partner, who hadn’t traveled, did get sick with Zika and recovered.

Zika is mainly spread by mosquitoes. Most infected people don’t get sick. It can cause a mild illness, with fever, rash and joint pain. But infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects.

More