Canada confirms first sexually-transmitted Zika virus case

Canada's Public Health Agency on Monday confirmed the first positive case of sexually transmitted Zika virus in an Ontario resident whose partner had been infected by the virus after traveling to an affected country.

The infection was confirmed after a testing at the agency's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, said the agency in a statement.

The National Microbiology Laboratory is still investigating another suspected case of sexually-transmitted Zika.

Identity of the patient is not disclosed.

Altogether 55 Canadians have been confirmed positive with infection of Zika virus, all of whom were infected while travelling to regions where the disease is spreading, including South and Central Americas, parts of Mexico and the Caribbean. Among them are two pregnant women from British Columbia.

Bites of infected mosquitoes are the main way the Zika virus spreads.

Canada has no confirmed cases of locally acquired Zika virus through mosquitoes, and the overall risk in this country remains low, said the agency.

The agency suggested pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy should avoid travel to countries with ongoing Zika virus outbreaks.

If travel cannot be avoided or postponed, strict mosquito bite prevention measures should be taken, given the association between Zika virus infection and increased risk of serious health effects on a fetus, it added.