The Zika virus is serious. From Rihanna backing out of a performance at Lollapalooza to the entire NBC staff concerned with traveling to Brazil for the Olympics, we’re all frightened by this deadly disease that can be contracted by just a simple mosquito bite. Unfortunately, the first confirmed Zika-related death has now been reported closer to home in the continental United States.
USA Today reported this weekend that an unidentified person died from symptoms related to the Zika virus in Utah. Health officials are close-lipped, but they did say that the person is from the Salt Lake City area and did in fact travel to a Zika-prone country where he contracted the virus. The Salt Lake County Health Department also stated that the person died in June, was elderly, and had other health conditions that were not Zika-related. Benjamin Haynes of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, “The person had Zika symptoms — including rash, fever, and conjunctivitis — but it’s unclear if or how the virus contributed to the death.”
Back in February, a 70-year-old man from San Juan, Puerto Rico, died from symptoms related to the Zika virus. However, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has yet to be a case of locally-transmitted cases of Zika in the continental United States.
(Via USA Today)