Women are ‘significantly more likely to be infected by the Zika virus than men’

Adult women are significantly more likely to develop Zika than men, researchers have revealed.

The study, published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, evaluated 29,000 cases since the outbreak began in Puerto Rico in November last year.

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They found 62 per cent of cases confirmed by laboratory evidence were female - results which echoed similar findings from Brazil and El Salvador.

One obvious explanation might be that pregnant women are more likely than men to seek treatment for Zika because of the potential risk of birth defects.

To account for that, the researchers excluded all pregnant women who tested positive for the virus. Of the remaining 28,219 non-pregnant women and men testing positive for Zika, 61 percent of these cases occurred in women over the age of 20.

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"It is possible that male-to-female sexual transmission is a contributing factor to this skewing of the burden of disease toward women," the CDC said in a statement summarizing the findings.

However, the contribution of sexual transmission to overall Zika rates is just beginning to be explored, the CDC said.

It could be that women are more likely than men to seek care if they are sick, or that women are more likely to develop Zika symptoms if they become infected.

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The CDC is conducting blood tests of individuals living near people with confirmed Zika to try to answer some of these questions.

Zika infections in pregnant women have been shown to cause microcephaly - a severe birth defect in which the head and brain are undersized - as well as other brain abnormalities.

This latest research comes just days after it was revealed that scientists have moved a step closer to a vaccine for the virus.

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Scientists, this week revealed they have discovered a new drug that could protect against infection, brain damage and death.

The vaccine has been given to 200 people after it was found to offer total protection in mice and monkeys.

Experts have successfully isolated antibodies from people previously infected with the tropical disease.

The new drug is currently being tested in two human trials, encompassing 200 people. The researchers hope to reveal their first results by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, another study, published last month, suggests that Zika could impact on a man's fertility, by shrinking his testicles and leaving him unable to father a child.