Spanish health authorities confirmed last week (November 9, 2019) a case of a man spreading dengue through sex, a world first for a virus which until recently was thought to be transmitted only by mosquitoes.
The case concerns a 41-year-old man from Madrid who contracted dengue after having sex with his male partner who picked up the virus from a mosquito bite during a trip to Cuba.
His dengue infection was confirmed in September and it puzzled doctors because he had not travelled to a country where the disease, which causes severe flu-like symptoms such as high fever and body aches, is common. His partner presented the same symptoms and had previously visited Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
