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First Zika-related death in continental US reported in Utah
Officials in Utah announced Friday that an elderly patient infected with Zika virus has died.
Health officials in Salt Lake County said the patient, who had underlying health conditions, traveled this year to a part of the world where the virus is being spread by mosquitoes. The patient died in late June.
According to a statement from the Salt Lake County Health Department, the exact cause of death has not been determined and it may not be possible to tell what role the virus played.
Still, the department classified it as the first confirmed Zika-related death in the continental U.S.
“We know it contributed, but we don’t know if it was the sole cause of death,” Dagmar J. Vitek, MD, MPH, medical director of the Salt Lake County Health Department, said during a news conference.
There is no vaccine for Zika virus. Studies have shown that infection during pregnancy can cause microcephaly and other birth defects, and the virus has been associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults.
All 1,132 cases of Zika virus reported in the U.S. as of July 6 were travel-related, according to the CDC. Health officials in Salt Lake County said they have been assured by mosquito experts that “there is currently no threat of Zika virus infection from mosquitoes in the area.”
Citing health privacy laws, the department said it would not release further details about the deceased patient, including where they had traveled.