Zika found in saliva, urine, experts warn against kissing

Authorities in Brazil said on Friday Zika has been detected in patients' saliva and urine, adding to the concern over the spread of the virus, while U.S. officials offered new guidance on sex for people returning from Zika-hit regions.

Zika, linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil, is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites, but word surfaced this week of infections through sex and blood transfusions, and news of the presence of the virus in the saliva and urine of two patients prompted new worries.

The possibility of infection via body fluids could complicate efforts to contain the outbreak.

In fact, the president of the Brazilian federal biomedical research institution that made the announcement urged pregnant women not to kiss strangers during the country's free-wheeling Carnival celebrations.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended more stringent measures for monitoring pregnant women for Zika and for preventing sexual transmission of the virus.

"I wish we knew more about Zika today," CDC Director Tom Frieden told reporters.

The CDC said men with a pregnant partner who live in or have traveled to an area of active Zika transmission should use condoms during sex with their partner or abstain from sex for the duration of the pregnancy.

"The science is not clear on how long the risk should be avoided," the CDC said.

Zika has spread rapidly through the Americas, prompting the World Health Organization to declare an international public health emergency due to its link to microcephaly, a condition in which infants are born with abnormally small heads and can suffer developmental problems.

There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika.

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