07/11/2016 AT 04:twenty PM EDT
An elderly Utah man has actually come to be the very first confirmed individual to die in the United States from the mosquito-transmitted Zika virus.
The unidentified Sodium Lake County resident tested beneficial for the virus last month and later died of internal bleeding after he was hospitalized for Zika symptoms, including a higher fever, rash and joint pain, Salt Lake County Good health Department director Gary Edwards tells PEOPLE.
“He had visited a country that we already know has actually ongoing Zika transmission, and as soon as he was tested at the hospital, it was confirmed that he had the virus,” says Edwards. “Death from Zika is rather rare. We already know that it contributed to this person’s death, however the exact trigger hasn’t yet been determined. This personal likewise had an underlying medical condition.”
Although no locally transmitted cases of Zika have actually been reported in the United States, in this way much there have actually been 1,132 travel-related cases, according to the Facilities for Health problem Manage and Prevention in Atlanta.
“The CDC has actually been functioning along with state, regional and territorial Good health officials to intend for the chance of locally acquired Zika transmission,” Benjamin N. Haynes, a spokesperson for the CDC, tells PEOPLE.
“The disease is typically mild along with symptoms long lasting for many days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito,” Haynes says, however “several Individuals infected along with Zika have actually no symptoms.”
The the majority of common symptoms of Zika contain conjunctivitis (red eyes), rash, fever, joint discomfort and headache. along with no vaccine to handle or Avoid the virus, “it’s necessary that Individuals take actions to secure themselves from mosquito bites,” Haynes adds.
Although the Zika virus is primarily spread via mosquitos, sexual transmission has actually likewise been documented and has actually been linked as a trigger of microcephaly and various other fetal mind defects in countries such as Brazil, which is concerning to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
The Zika virus is likewise linked to Guillain-Barre’ syndrome – an uncommon sickness of the nervous system, in which a person’s immune unit loss the nerve cells, causing muscle weakness and at times paralysis, Haynes tells PEOPLE.
He recommends that any person preparing to travel to a Zika zone take steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites.