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Zika can be spread by touching the tears of an infected person.
A man from Utah could have contracted the Zika virus from his infected father by touching his tears or sweat. According to a new study, this unusual way of getting the virus caused 100 000 times the normal level of virus. Researchers from the University of Utah are trying to understand how this was possible and what connection is between our tears and the dangerous virus.
The father was diagnosed with prostate cancer eight months before June when he died. He received radiotherapy, hoping this will make him feel better. During this period, he went to Mexico, his native country. There he was bitten by some mosquitoes who were infected with the Zika virus. Doctors discovered that the radiation made it easier for the virus to replicate, but there are still wondering why the levels of infection were so high.
The officials did not want to say the name of the man or the place he visited during his trip to Mexico. What is really surprising is that his healthy son, who is 38 years old, became sick after he visited his father in the hospital. He explained that he helped nurses with his father, including wiping his tears without using gloves.
The most interesting thing is that nurses and doctors who treated his father did not become sick. Moreover, the other family members were not in dangers. Health officials tested also the mosquitoes in the area and did not find any with the Zika virus. This could mean that the son got the disease from his father’s tears. Researchers have not seen another case like this before. This should make us pay more attention to infected people. It seems the virus spreads easier than we have thought and things are getting worse.
Of course, the transmission could happen because the father had a high level of infection is his body due to radiation. If you talk to an infected person or shake hands, there will be no problem. We already know that Zika can be spread among humans by having unprotected sexual contact or from a mother to her baby.
Do not forget that the best way to prevent the Zika virus is to prevent the mosquitoes bites. Even though Zika infection can last for a few days, the fact that we do not have a treatment makes it more dangerous.
Image source: Pixabay
