A person infected with Zika has died in Utah, and while the exact cause is unclear, authorities said Friday it marks the first death related to the virus in the continental U.S.
Advertisement
The individual died in late June, was elderly and had an underlying health condition, according to a Salt Lake County Health Department news release.
Due to health privacy concerns, the officials could not provide further details on the case.
Meanwhile, the Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has also stepped in and in order to stem the spread of the virus across the US announced that it would award $25 million to various states to help 53 Zika virus-affected areas to fight the virus.
Three more pregnant Houston women have contracted Zika, the mosquito-borne disease that can cause birth defects.
The executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department, Gary Edwards, stated that health officials who were reviewing death certificates, discovered the potential case, and it was confirmed by lab tests.
There are 2,534 documented cases of Zika virus in us territories, the vast majority of which were acquired locally.
Pregnant women and their children are considered to be at greatest risk from the disease.
Zika is spread primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquito.
Health officials in Northern Kentucky are trying to stop the Zika virus from spreading by testing mosquitoes in the area. About 80 percent of people who get infected have no symptoms, while the rest tend to only have mild symptoms that last for several days to a week.
Signs of Zika showed up nearly immediately for a Fresno woman who is infected with the virus. Symptoms of Zika include rashes, fever and joint pain, officials said.
The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.
Brazil has confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly linked to Zika. Infants with microcephaly are born with abnormally small heads and may experience potentially disabling developmental problems.
Advertisement
The Salt Lake County Travel Clinic is available to educate travelers about preventing Zika and other diseases common in their destination.
