(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency) Washington, July 9 (Petra) -- U.S. health officials Friday confirmed that a Utah resident''s death late last month was the first Zika -related death in the continental United States.
The unidentified resident of Salt Lake County had traveled to an undisclosed destination where the virus is circulating.
The cause of death has not been determined. "This person had an underlying medical condition and tested positive for Zika, so we know it contributed to the death, but we don''t know that it was the sole cause, authorities stated.
In rare cases, though, the virus has been linked to a nervous system disorder that can cause muscle weakness and sometimes paralysis.
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 mosquitoes, neither of which are found in Utah. The virus can also cause Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition in which the body''s immune system attacks the nerves. Symptoms of the condition, which can also be caused by other viruses, can include temporary paralysis.
S Kh
9/7/2016 - 10:18:11 AM
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