Continental US records first Zika-related death

As of June 29, the City of Houston had 11 confirmed Zika cases, and a Harris County Health Department spokeswoman said the surrounding areas in the county have seven confirmed cases.

Health officials said although the exact cause of death was not determined, the deceased person tested positive for Zika virus, and it was considered a leading factor in the person’s death, according to Deseret News.

“Due to health privacy laws, health officials will not release further details about the individual or the individual’s travel history”. In a statement, the Salt Lake County Health Department said that there isn’t any threat of Zika virus infection in the region.

On Friday, Salt Lake County health officials confirmed that an elderly patient who had Zika died – but were unsure of how Zika contributed to that person’s death.

The Salt Lake County Health Department in Utah has not yet released the woman’s official cause of death.

Dagmar Vitek, medical director for the Salt Lake County Health Department, said cases of the Zika virus in the USA have all come from individuals traveling to other countries where the virus is prevalent, according to Deseret News.

There have been no reported cases of locally transmitted Zika in continental US.

U.S. health officials said earlier this week that the virus is spreading fast on the island, infecting as many as 50 pregnant women per day.

Several Pennsylvania residents are known to have contracted the virus, mostly acquired by mosquito bites, while traveling overseas.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the death and said that 1,132 cases of Zika have so far been reported in the US.

The virus, which can cause devastating birth defects in children born to women who were infected during pregnancy, is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito, neither of which are found in Utah.

Besides Zika, Dr. Dagmar Vitek, medical director for SLCoHD, said that whenever travellers go to other countries, they should be aware of the potential danger that they could face from diseases that are prevalent in those countries. “In addition to Zika, travelers need to be mindful of other diseases found around the world, including mosquito-borne illnesses like Dengue fever, malaria, and chikungunya”.

There is now no vaccine or treatment for the Zika virus and many people infected won’t have any symptoms, according to the CDC.

The death of a Utah woman is the first known case of a person in the continental United States dying who has had the virus.