AUGUSTA — As of March 30, 2016, 312 cases of travel-associated Zika have been identified in the U.S. There have been no locally acquired cases in U.S., but 349 locally-acquired cases in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

U.S. CDC has issued new recommendations for prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus for couples in which a man has traveled to or resides in an area with active Zika virus transmission:

• Couples in which a woman is pregnant should use condoms consistently and correctly or abstain from sex for the duration of the pregnancy
• Couples in which a man had confirmed Zika virus infection or clinical illness consistent with Zika virus disease should consider using condoms or abstaining from sex for at least 6 months after onset of illness
• Couples in which a man traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission but did not develop symptoms of Zika virus disease should consider using condoms or abstaining from sex for at least 8 weeks after departure from the area
• Couples in which a man resides in an area with active Zika virus transmission but has not developed symptoms of Zika virus disease might consider using condoms or abstaining from sex while active transmission persists

Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. Though less common, Zika can be transmitted through sexual contact from a male to his partner. Only one in five people infected with Zika show symptoms, which include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes. Illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week.

For more information: Maine CDC Zika webpage: maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/infectious-disease/epi/vector-borne/zika. U.S. CDC Zika webpage: cdc.gov/zika/index.html