Salt Lake City — (KUTV) The eighth case of Zika virus has been reported in Utah. This most recent case has health experts stumped.
Officials say the patient has recovered, but they’re not sure how they contracted the disease.
Previously experts have told the American public that Zika is passed through an infected mosquito bite received while visiting an affected foreign country, or through sexual intercourse with an infected person. In this case, both of those factors are absent.
“Given the information we have we have right now, we are ruling out the other known modes or suspected modes of transmission,” said Dr. Erin Staples with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We’re learning something new about Zika virus every day.”
Authorities are releasing very little details about the patient, other than saying they had been working as a caretaker for an elderly person who had Zika Virus and had just recently passed away.
“At this time we don’t know if the contact between the new case and the deceased patient played any role in the transmission of the disease,” said Gary Edwards, Director of the Salt Lake County Health Department. “We do not believe that there is a risk of Zika transmission among the general public in Utah based on what we know so far.”
While state health officials and the CDC don’t have an answer for how it spread, they’re continuing to test other family members who may have had exposure to the deceased patient. They also say there’s no evidence to suggest the most recent case was spread through a Utah mosquito.
“The mosquito known to transmit Zika does not appear to be in Utah, but we are going to continue to test and trap mosquitoes,” said Dr. Angela Dunn with the Utah Department of Health, who echoed previous advice to pregnant women in avoiding travel to affected countries and to avoid sex with those returning from affected countries. In addition, the state health department is advising Utahns to increase personal precautions against mosquito bites while they continue their investigation.
“Such as wearing mosquito repellent, covering up with clothing and removing any mosquito-breeding areas, such as anything with standing water in your yard or property.”
Of the eight cases reported in Utah, this case is the first reported that was not contracted during international travel to an affected country.
[Source:- KUTV]
