Officials in Utah are investigating a 'unique' Zika case.
Officials in Utah are investigating an unusual Zika case.
According to the Utah Department of Health, an unidentified patient contracted the disease by a means other than the two that are currently known--through the bite of an infected mosquito or through sexual transmission.
Officials note that the individual had been caring for an elderly man who ended up dying after contracting Zika from a trip abroad.
Even though it is still unclear if Zika alone caused the death of the elderly individual, he exhibited classic symptoms of the virus, notes the New York Times.
Meanwhile, the infected caregiver has reportedly recovered fully and is working with the department in an ongoing investigation.
The Washington Post is reporting that, "the primary mosquitoes known for carrying Zika are not present in Utah...As a precaution, officials are trapping and testing mosquitoes around both persons' homes to definitively rule out that mode of transmission."
CDC's Medical Epidemiologist, Erin Staples, notes, “The new case in Utah is a surprise, showing that we still have more to learn about Zika...Fortunately, the patient recovered quickly, and from what we have seen with more than 1,300 travel-associated cases of Zika in the continental United States and Hawaii, non-sexual spread from one person to another does not appear to be common."
