Spain Has Just Confirmed The World’s First Case of Sexually-Transmitted Dengue

• Spain confirms the world’s first sexually-transmitted case of dengue
• The patient has never traveled to a dengue-endemic country
• Both the patient and his partner’s samples tested positive for dengue strains circulating in Cuba

The first case of sexually-transmitted dengue has just been confirmed by Spanish authorities. The Madrid region Public Health Department confirmed that a 41-year old patient, who has never traveled to a dengue-endemic country, got infected by his partner. His partner had a travel history to Cuba and the Dominican Republic and exhibited symptoms 10 days earlier. An analysis of both men’s sperm samples confirmed they had dengue, and both had the same strain circulating in Cuba.

Dengue was first thought to be transmissible through sex after scientists detected the virus in the semen of an Italian man who traveled in Thailand and was diagnosed with the infection. A suspected case of the disease being transmitted from a man to a woman through sexual intercourse has been previously reported in South Korea, but it has not been confirmed.

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted through mosquito bites.

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is common in tropical and subtropical areas such as Southeast Asia, Central America, and the Caribbean. Reported cases of dengue globally have increased six-fold in recent years, with most of the disease burden concentrated in Asia.

The dengue virus has four strains that can infect humans; a previous infection can increase the risk of developing the severe form of the disease. Dengue presents with a wide range of symptoms including headaches, fever, joint pain, and skin rashes. The more severe form presents with complications such as vomiting, bleeding from the nose, and organ impairment. Severe dengue is life-threatening and infants and pregnant women are more susceptible to this form of the disease.