--- title: Zika Virus: Transmission by Oral Sex Possible -Scientists description: The Zika virus might be transmitted by oral sex, scientists said in a letter in the New England Journal of Medicine canonical: https://time.com/4356383/zika-virus-transmission-oral-sex/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-03T15:00:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T22:22:24.620Z article:section: Health og:title: Scientists Find Zika Might Be Transmitted by Oral Sex og:description: There's one possible case of it happening in France og:url: https://time.com/4356383/zika-virus-transmission-oral-sex/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt259e0559cb258269/6988964c8e0601d4a14662b1/zika-mosquito.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Brazil Continues Battle Against Zika Virus Ahead Of Olympic Games og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Scientists Find Zika Might Be Transmitted by Oral Sex twitter:description: There's one possible case of it happening in France twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt259e0559cb258269/6988964c8e0601d4a14662b1/zika-mosquito.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Scientists Find Zika Might Be Transmitted by Oral Sex  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Jun 3, 2016 3:00 PM CUT  Aedes aegypti mosquitos are seen in a lab at the Fiocruz Institute in Recife, Brazil, on June 2, 2016. Aedes aegypti mosquitos are seen in a lab at the Fiocruz Institute in Recife, Brazil, on June 2, 2016.Mario Tama—Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Jun 3, 2016 3:00 PM CUT It’s possible the Zika virus can be transmitted by oral sex, [scientists said in a letter](http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc1604449?version=meter+at+2&module=meter-Links&pgtype=article&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=meter-links-click& "undefined") to the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday. In a case reported in France, a 24-year-old woman was infected with the virus after having sex with a 46-year-old man who had just returned to Paris from Rio de Janeiro, a hot zone for Zika, [the New York _Times_ reported](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/health/zika-oral-sex-kissing-transmission.html "undefined"). The pair had sex several times between Feb. 11 and Feb. 20, involving vaginal sex without ejaculation and oral sex with ejaculation. The woman became ill on Feb. 20, and both were tested on Feb. 23, the _Times_ reported. While the test results showed the man had high levels of the virus in his semen and urine, he had none in his blood or saliva. The woman, on the other hand, had the virus in her urine and saliva, but a vaginal swab tested negative. **Read more:** [10 Zika Facts You Need to Know Now](http://time.com/4318624/zika-virus-and-birth-defects-what-you-need-to-know/ "undefined") Scientists had already [confirmed cases](http://time.com/4205907/zika-who-sexual-transmission/ "undefined") of sexually transmitted Zika, leading the U.S. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention to release [guidelines on prevention](http://time.com/4209446/zika-virus-sexually-transmitted/ "undefined") in February. “I don’t think this changes anything, but it shows you how elaborate the number of avenues of possible transmission can be,” said Dr. William Schaffner, head of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical School, in an interview with the _Times_. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4356383/zika-virus-transmission-oral-sex/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4356383/zika-virus-transmission-oral-sex/"},"headline":"Scientists Find Zika Might Be Transmitted by Oral Sex","datePublished":"2016-06-03T15:00:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T22:22:24.620Z","description":"There's one possible case of it happening in France","url":"https://time.com/4356383/zika-virus-transmission-oral-sex/","keywords":["Zika","France","brazil"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt259e0559cb258269/6988964c8e0601d4a14662b1/zika-mosquito.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt259e0559cb258269/6988964c8e0601d4a14662b1/zika-mosquito.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Brazil Continues Battle Against Zika Virus Ahead Of Olympic Games","caption":"RECIFE, BRAZIL - JUNE 02: Aedes aegypti mosquitos are seen in a lab at the Fiocruz Institute on June 2, 2016 in Recife, Brazil. 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