The World Health Organization is advising millions of residents of areas where the Zika virus is spreading, as well as visitors to those areas, to consider delaying pregnancy due to birth defects tied to the disease.
Since 2007, Zika has been detected in 60 countries and territories, WHO said. The disease is usually transmitted through mosquitoes, but there is evidence it can also be transmitted via sex and it is not known how long it can be present in semen, which is why WHO says men and women of reproductive age living in affected areas should "be correctly informed and oriented to consider delaying pregnancy," The Guardian reports.
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