Utah man caring for father contracts Zika

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said Monday that the state’s most recent case was a man in his 20s who recently traveled to Puerto Rico, the New Tribune of Tacoma reported.

Still, no known Zika cases have been transmitted locally by mosquitoes, local health officials confirm – all local cases have been imported with the exception of one case in Dallas County that is believed to have been spread by sexual contact. CDC investigators say that the case shows there is still more to learn about Zika, but emphasized that mosquitoes are still the virus’s main mode of transmission. However, Utah state officials insist they are not aware of any Zika virus-carrying mosquitoes in the state of Utah. Zika causes only a mild illness in most people, and the son has recovered. A person who cared for a Zika-infected relative in Utah also got the virus, but exac.

CDC has issued guidance to men and women surrounding pregnancy precautions following a visit to countries where Zika virus is endemic. Though there’s no evidence yet that Zika can be transmitted through coughing, sneezing or routine touching, questions raised by the Utah case could mean researchers look into that possibility in the future, Schaffner said.

No other information will be released about this case to protect the privacy of the patient. Thousands of babies have been born in Brazil with abnormally small heads and brains, a condition called microcephaly.

This latest twist suggests that, in rare cases, we may be able to catch Zika from airborne particles, or from non-sexual contact. Brazil is the epicenter of the Zika epidemic. But as a precaution, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is working with his health care provider to ensure that he follows guidelines from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) to prevent the spread of the virus.

Gupta urged caution for women of childbearing age traveling overseas to areas where Zika is endemic. Health experts think mosquito transmission probably will occur in the US, but the expectation is that it will be in low-elevation, sweltering places where the insect has been a steady problem – such as southern Florida or southern Texas.