The question – has anyone died from Zika?-now has a very sad answer to it. The United States just saw their first Zika related death, as it was confirmed that a patient who had Zika died at the end of June in Utah.
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The Salt Lake County Health Department found out about the case earlier this week when health officials were reviewing death certificates. The person tested positive for the virus and is assumed to have contracted it after traveling to a part of the world where Zika-carrying mosquitoes are known to exist. “It may not be possible to determine how the Zika infection contributed to the death”, a news release said.
No further details were revealed by the officials citing health privacy concerns.
As of July 7, 2016, no cases of locally transmitted, mosquito-borne Zika have been reported in the continental United States.
The death of the woman in Utah follows the first death from Zika in Puerto Rico in April as a result of severe internal bleeding due to lack of platelets in the blood.
“This unfortunate situation is a tragic reminder of how important it is to receive proper pre-travel education and to protect yourself from mosquitoes when traveling overseas”, said Dr. Dagmar Vitek, a medical director for the Salt Lake County Health Department, in a statement. The virus can also cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves.
As everyone learns more and more about Zika, they begin to learn that there is a lot that they might not know about the virus.
Local health officials also say there is now no threat of the virus being spread by mosquitoes in Utah.
The CDC requires all health care centers and providers across the country to report any Zika virus affections in order to be studied statistically by the Centers. Many more people may have been infected but had no symptoms or test, health experts say.
According to the CDC, the patient had suffered from Zika symptoms – including a rash, fever, and conjunctivitis.
The risk is to pregnant women.
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After a record-setting Wednesday, in which 11 people came down with the Zika virus in Florida, the past two days have been quiet, according to the Florida Department of Health, which issues daily updates on the virus which can cause devastating birth defects.
