A positive Zika test result came back after the person died
(CNN)Utah health officials said Friday that the death of an elderly patient at the end of June was related to the Zika virus, 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 [of death]," said Dr. Dagmar Vitek, medical director for the Salt Lake County Department of Health. "It may not be possible to determine how the Zika infection contributed to the death," a news release said.
Laboratory confirmation of the virus did not come back until after the individual had died, according to Gary Edwards, executive director of the Salt Lake County Department of Health, who said the department learned of the Zika-related death after a review of the death certificate.
Citing health privacy laws, health officials said that no additional information about the patient will be released. Vitek called the situation tragic and offered condolences to the family of the deceased individual.
To date, there have been no locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus in the United States, although there are 1,132 travel-related cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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 mosquito, neither of which are found in Utah. The virus can also cause Guillain-Barré 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.
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Dr. Dagmar Vitek, left, Medical Director, Salt Lake County Health Department speaks while Gary... Read more
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A person infected with Zika has died in Utah, and while the exact cause is unclear, authorities said Friday it marks the first death related to the virus in the continental U.S.
The unidentified Salt Lake County resident contracted the virus while traveling abroad to an area with a Zika outbreak, health officials said.
The patient who died in late June was elderly and also suffered from another health condition, according to the Salt Lake County Health Department.
The person had Zika symptoms — including rash, fever and conjunctivitis — but it's unclear if or how the virus contributed to the death, said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Benjamin Haynes.
Officials discovered the case while reviewing death certificates, and lab tests confirmed their suspicions, said Gary Edwards, executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department.
Utah authorities refused to release additional information about the patient or where he or she traveled, citing health privacy laws.
The virus causes only a mild illness in most people. But during recent outbreaks in Latin America, scientists discovered that infection during pregnancy has led to severe brain-related birth defects.
It's spread mainly through the bite of a tropical mosquito.
No cases of locally transmitted, mosquito-borne Zika have been reported in the continental United States, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But a 70-year-old man from the San Juan metro area in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico died in late February. Officials said he recovered from initial Zika symptoms, but then developed a condition in which antibodies that formed in reaction to the Zika infection started attacking blood platelet cells. He died after suffering internal bleeding.
More than 1,100 Zika illnesses have been reported in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, including six in Salt Lake County, according to health officials.
Almost all were people who had traveled to Zika outbreak countries and caught the virus there.
But 14 were people who had not traveled to Zika zones but had sex with someone who had.
The CDC has also been tracking pregnant women infected with Zika, and says they have five reports of pregnancy losses because of miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion.
___
Associated Press Medical Writer Mike Stobbe in New York and AP writer Sally Ho in Las Vegas contributed to this story.
Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen inside Oxitec laboratory in Campinas, Brazil, February 2, 2016.
REUTERS/PAULO WHITAKER/FILE PHOTO
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that a Utah resident's death last month is the first Zika-related death in the continental United States, the CDC said in an emailed statement.
Health officials in the Salt Lake County health department in Utah reported the death on Friday of an elderly resident who had been infected with the Zika virus while traveling to an area with active transmission of the virus.
The exact cause of death is not known, the health department said in a press release.
The resident had an undisclosed health condition and had tested positive for the Zika virus. County health officials said it may not be possible to determine how the Zika infection contributed to the person's death.
The resident was not identified.
The Zika virus typically causes mild illness with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Many people infected with Zika have no symptoms.
In April, the CDC reported the first U.S. death from Zika occurring in a patient infected with the virus in Puerto Rico. The man, who was in his 70s, died from severe thrombocytopenia, a bleeding disorder caused by abnormally low blood platelets, which are needed for blood clotting.
Zika is spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, however, the virus can also be spread through sexual transmission.
There is currently no vaccine or treatment for Zika.
Health officials are most concerned about Zika infections in pregnant women because the virus has been shown to cause microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects. The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Leslie Adler and Bernard Orr)
First Published Jul 08 2016 12:21PM • Updated 5 hours ago
(Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gary Edwards, Executive Director with Salt Lake County Health Department, speaks during a press conference at the Salt Lake County Government Center Friday July 8, 2016. A Salt Lake County resident who tested positive for Zika virus died last month, becoming the first confirmed death related to the virus in the continental U.S. The county Health Department announced the death Friday, saying the exact cause has not been determined. The individual, who had an "underlying health condition" and was elderly, traveled somewhere this year where mosquitoes are known to spread Zika, according to a news release.
Warning » Health Department says the S.L. County resident was elderly and in poor health.
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A Salt Lake County resident who tested positive for Zika virus died last month, becoming the first confirmed death related to the virus in the continental U.S.
The county Health Department announced the death Friday, saying the exact cause has not been determined. The individual, who had an underlying medical condition and was elderly, traveled this year somewhere mosquitoes are known to spread Zika, according to a news release.
"We know it contributed to [the death], but we don't know if it was the sole cause," said Dagmar Vitek, the department's medical director.
The department learned about this earlier this week. It does not plan to release additional details about the individual or where he or she traveled because of "health privacy laws," the release adds.
Experts, however, say there is no current threat of Zika from mosquitoes in Utah.
"The exotic mosquito species capable of transmitting Zika virus are not found along the Wasatch Front," said Ari Faraji, manager of the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District, in the release. "In fact, so far this season, we have not detected those two species anywhere in Utah."
But they have been found in California and Arizona, and Faraji said there always is a chance of migration.
These mosquito species are considered container-inhabiting mosquitoes, Faraji said, so the district sets traps around urban habitats such as auto salvage yards and tire recycling plants. So far, Faraji said, none have turned up.
In previous years, the species have been found in St. George and Salt Lake County, but Utah winters are harsh enough that the species were unable to establish.
Three travel-associated Zika cases have been reported in Utah as of Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Also as of Wednesday, no locally acquired mosquito-borne cases have been reported in the U.S. states, but there have been 1,132 travel-associated cases reported, the CDC states.
Cases of Zika are usually mild and rarely result in death. The most common symptoms of the virus are rash, joint pain, fever and red eyes. Some individuals with Zika never exhibit symptoms, according to the CDC.
Health officials warn Utahns that sexual activity can transmit the virus. If a woman is pregnant or trying to get pregnant, she should not have unprotected sex with a man who has been to an area where the virus is known to be spreading, according to the release.
The virus can cause birth defects in children whose mothers were infected during pregnancy, according to the CDC.
There currently is no vaccine or medication to cure Zika, so "prevention is huge," Vitek said.
Individuals who recently traveled and are concerned about the illness should contact their health care provider, the release adds. Residents can contact the Salt Lake County Health Department Travel Clinic at 385-468-4111 to learn about preventing Zika and other diseases in areas they are traveling.
FILE - Sarah Ross of South Salt Lake Valley Mosquito Abatement sprays a swamp for mosquito larvae in West Jordan on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. The first confirmed Zika-related death in the continental U.S. has occurred in Salt Lake County.
Weston Kenney, Deseret News
Summary
The first confirmed Zika-related death in the continental U.S. has occurred in Salt Lake County.
SALT LAKE CITY — An elderly Salt Lake County resident who died in late June is the first confirmed Zika-related death in the continental U.S., health officials announced Friday.
The individual traveled to a Zika-infected area earlier this year and was awaiting Zika testing results when he or she died, according to Salt Lake County Health Department Director Gary Edwards.
He said officials found the cause of death to be "of suspicion" and later received test results confirming that the individual had Zika.
Due to privacy laws, public health officials said they would not release additional details about the individual or his or her travel history.
It may be impossible to determine exactly how or if the Zika virus contributed to the individual's death, said Dr. Dagmar Vitek, the health department's medical director, who added that the individual had "an underlying health condition."
Vitek clarified in a news conference Friday that officials believe Zika contributed to the death but do not know if it was the sole cause.
Experts assured Utahns that the chance of local transmission in the state remains low. The species of mosquito that carries Zika has been found in Utah just once, when mosquito abatement workers caught six specimens in Washington County three years ago.
Utah’s cold winters and high elevation usually prevent Zika-carrying mosquitoes from surviving in Utah, according to Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District manager Ary Faraji.
Six people in Salt Lake County have tested positive for the Zika virus, according to Salt Lake County epidemiology director Ilene Risk, including the deceased individual. All had recently traveled to Zika-affected areas.
No locally acquired Zika cases have been reported yet in the 50 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Still, workers will be increasing the number of traps they put out in Salt Lake County, Faraji said, "just to make sure."
The mosquito-borne illness was declared a public health crisis after alarming reports from Brazil surfaced last year of babies being born with severe birth defects.
Since then, “the more we’ve learned, the bigger the problem seems,” said University of Utah pediatric infectious diseases chief Dr. Andrew Pavia.
Once considered a relatively mild illness, the Zika virus is now thought to cause a range of birth defects in children born to infected mothers, and it has been linked to a rare form of temporary paralysis called Guillain-Barre syndrome.
And although spread mostly through mosquitoes, sexual transmission is now thought to play a bigger role in Zika's spread than once thought, according to Pavia.
However, Zika-related deaths remain rare, he said.
A 70-year-old Puerto Rican man who died in February was the first U.S. death tied to the disease.
In that case, Pavia said, the man died as the result of an autoimmune reaction to an earlier Zika infection in which his antibodies started attacking his platelets.
Experts also believe that people who have weaker immune systems may be more susceptible to complications, although Pavia called the theory "speculative" at this point.
With containment proving difficult and Congress deadlocked over Zika funding, Pavia said the virus is likely to continue spreading throughout the Western hemisphere.
“It is really hard to mount an all-hands-on-deck response to a new infection when you have to steal money from one program and count pennies and recycle syringes,” Pavia said. “That's a slight exaggeration, but they’re really running out of spare change that they can find to do the work they need. We need funds to deal with this.”
The Utah Department of Health is awaiting about$826,000 in funding from the CDC expected to arrive next month.
But Democrats and Republicans in Congress are still fighting over President Barack Obama’s February request for $1.9 million in emergency Zika funding.
Last month, Democrats blocked a federal spending bill that would have provided $1.1 billion to fight Zika, arguing that Republicans had inserted "poison pills" into the legislation. Those included provisions that would have restricted Planned Parenthood and other clinics from providing contraceptive services related to Zika and threatened funding for the Affordable Care Act.
On Friday, Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, accused Senate Democrats of “playing politics with our health" in a statement about the Utahn's death.
The House passed a bill he sponsored that would have redirected leftover funds from the Ebola crisis to Zika. Democrats maintained that money was still needed to fight Ebola.
Without any indication that a vaccine or cure is on the way, Vitek reminded residents that prevention “is absolutely huge.”
People who are traveling to Zika-infected areas are advised to take precautions during the trip and after. For the most updated information about areas affected by Zika, visit CDC.gov/zika.
Because Zika can be sexually transmitted, women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant should not have unprotected sex with a man who has recently traveled to an area of the world where Zika virus is circulating for six months, health officials said.
The Salt Lake County Travel Clinic is available to educate travelers about preventing Zika and other diseases common in their destination. The travel clinic can provide necessary immunizations and prescriptions for the prevention of other travel-related diseases. Appointments can be made by calling 385-468-4111.
People who have traveled recently and who are concerned about any illness they may be experiencing should contact their health care provider.
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Utah resident is first Zika-related death in continental U.S.
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Story highlights
(CNN)Utah health officials said Friday that the death of an elderly patient at the end of June was related to the Zika virus, 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.
See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook andTwitter.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/08/health/utah-zika-death/index.html
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1st death related to Zika virus seen in continental US
Dr. Dagmar Vitek, left, Medical Director, Salt Lake County Health Department speaks while Gary... Read more
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A person infected with Zika has died in Utah, and while the exact cause is unclear, authorities said Friday it marks the first death related to the virus in the continental U.S.
The unidentified Salt Lake County resident contracted the virus while traveling abroad to an area with a Zika outbreak, health officials said.
The patient who died in late June was elderly and also suffered from another health condition, according to the Salt Lake County Health Department.
The person had Zika symptoms — including rash, fever and conjunctivitis — but it's unclear if or how the virus contributed to the death, said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Benjamin Haynes.
Officials discovered the case while reviewing death certificates, and lab tests confirmed their suspicions, said Gary Edwards, executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department.
Utah authorities refused to release additional information about the patient or where he or she traveled, citing health privacy laws.
The virus causes only a mild illness in most people. But during recent outbreaks in Latin America, scientists discovered that infection during pregnancy has led to severe brain-related birth defects.
It's spread mainly through the bite of a tropical mosquito.
No cases of locally transmitted, mosquito-borne Zika have been reported in the continental United States, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But a 70-year-old man from the San Juan metro area in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico died in late February. Officials said he recovered from initial Zika symptoms, but then developed a condition in which antibodies that formed in reaction to the Zika infection started attacking blood platelet cells. He died after suffering internal bleeding.
More than 1,100 Zika illnesses have been reported in the 50 states and the District of Columbia, including six in Salt Lake County, according to health officials.
Almost all were people who had traveled to Zika outbreak countries and caught the virus there.
But 14 were people who had not traveled to Zika zones but had sex with someone who had.
The CDC has also been tracking pregnant women infected with Zika, and says they have five reports of pregnancy losses because of miscarriage, stillbirth or abortion.
___
Associated Press Medical Writer Mike Stobbe in New York and AP writer Sally Ho in Las Vegas contributed to this story.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/421e9379b3a14ce3a53d67dee7db9d40/1st-death-related-zika-virus-seen-continental-us
Admin
Utah resident who had been infected with Zika dies: health officials
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that a Utah resident's death last month is the first Zika-related death in the continental United States, the CDC said in an emailed statement.
Health officials in the Salt Lake County health department in Utah reported the death on Friday of an elderly resident who had been infected with the Zika virus while traveling to an area with active transmission of the virus.
The exact cause of death is not known, the health department said in a press release.
The resident had an undisclosed health condition and had tested positive for the Zika virus. County health officials said it may not be possible to determine how the Zika infection contributed to the person's death.
The resident was not identified.
The Zika virus typically causes mild illness with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Many people infected with Zika have no symptoms.
In April, the CDC reported the first U.S. death from Zika occurring in a patient infected with the virus in Puerto Rico. The man, who was in his 70s, died from severe thrombocytopenia, a bleeding disorder caused by abnormally low blood platelets, which are needed for blood clotting.
Zika is spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito, however, the virus can also be spread through sexual transmission.
There is currently no vaccine or treatment for Zika.
Health officials are most concerned about Zika infections in pregnant women because the virus has been shown to cause microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects. The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.
The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Leslie Adler and Bernard Orr)
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-zika-death-idUSKCN0ZO28A
Admin
Utahn infected with Zika dies, becoming first death in continental U.S. related to virus
A Salt Lake County resident who tested positive for Zika virus died last month, becoming the first confirmed death related to the virus in the continental U.S.
The county Health Department announced the death Friday, saying the exact cause has not been determined. The individual, who had an underlying medical condition and was elderly, traveled this year somewhere mosquitoes are known to spread Zika, according to a news release.
"We know it contributed to [the death], but we don't know if it was the sole cause," said Dagmar Vitek, the department's medical director.
The department learned about this earlier this week. It does not plan to release additional details about the individual or where he or she traveled because of "health privacy laws," the release adds.
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Experts, however, say there is no current threat of Zika from mosquitoes in Utah.
"The exotic mosquito species capable of transmitting Zika virus are not found along the Wasatch Front," said Ari Faraji, manager of the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District, in the release. "In fact, so far this season, we have not detected those two species anywhere in Utah."
But they have been found in California and Arizona, and Faraji said there always is a chance of migration.
These mosquito species are considered container-inhabiting mosquitoes, Faraji said, so the district sets traps around urban habitats such as auto salvage yards and tire recycling plants. So far, Faraji said, none have turned up.
In previous years, the species have been found in St. George and Salt Lake County, but Utah winters are harsh enough that the species were unable to establish.
Three travel-associated Zika cases have been reported in Utah as of Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Also as of Wednesday, no locally acquired mosquito-borne cases have been reported in the U.S. states, but there have been 1,132 travel-associated cases reported, the CDC states.
Cases of Zika are usually mild and rarely result in death. The most common symptoms of the virus are rash, joint pain, fever and red eyes. Some individuals with Zika never exhibit symptoms, according to the CDC.
Health officials warn Utahns that sexual activity can transmit the virus. If a woman is pregnant or trying to get pregnant, she should not have unprotected sex with a man who has been to an area where the virus is known to be spreading, according to the release.
The virus can cause birth defects in children whose mothers were infected during pregnancy, according to the CDC.
There currently is no vaccine or medication to cure Zika, so "prevention is huge," Vitek said.
Individuals who recently traveled and are concerned about the illness should contact their health care provider, the release adds. Residents can contact the Salt Lake County Health Department Travel Clinic at 385-468-4111 to learn about preventing Zika and other diseases in areas they are traveling.
astuckey@sltrib.com
Twitter: @alexdstuckey
http://www.sltrib.com/news/4095914-155/utahn-infected-with-zika-dies-becoming
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Salt Lake County resident becomes first Zika-related death in continental U.S.
By Katie McKellar, Deseret News
Published: Friday, July 8 2016 12:30 p.m. MDT
Updated: 9 hours ago
FILE - Sarah Ross of South Salt Lake Valley Mosquito Abatement sprays a swamp for mosquito larvae in West Jordan on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. The first confirmed Zika-related death in the continental U.S. has occurred in Salt Lake County.
Weston Kenney, Deseret News
The first confirmed Zika-related death in the continental U.S. has occurred in Salt Lake County.
SALT LAKE CITY — An elderly Salt Lake County resident who died in late June is the first confirmed Zika-related death in the continental U.S., health officials announced Friday.
The individual traveled to a Zika-infected area earlier this year and was awaiting Zika testing results when he or she died, according to Salt Lake County Health Department Director Gary Edwards.
He said officials found the cause of death to be "of suspicion" and later received test results confirming that the individual had Zika.
Due to privacy laws, public health officials said they would not release additional details about the individual or his or her travel history.
It may be impossible to determine exactly how or if the Zika virus contributed to the individual's death, said Dr. Dagmar Vitek, the health department's medical director, who added that the individual had "an underlying health condition."
Vitek clarified in a news conference Friday that officials believe Zika contributed to the death but do not know if it was the sole cause.
Experts assured Utahns that the chance of local transmission in the state remains low. The species of mosquito that carries Zika has been found in Utah just once, when mosquito abatement workers caught six specimens in Washington County three years ago.
Utah’s cold winters and high elevation usually prevent Zika-carrying mosquitoes from surviving in Utah, according to Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District manager Ary Faraji.
Six people in Salt Lake County have tested positive for the Zika virus, according to Salt Lake County epidemiology director Ilene Risk, including the deceased individual. All had recently traveled to Zika-affected areas.
No locally acquired Zika cases have been reported yet in the 50 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
Still, workers will be increasing the number of traps they put out in Salt Lake County, Faraji said, "just to make sure."
The mosquito-borne illness was declared a public health crisis after alarming reports from Brazil surfaced last year of babies being born with severe birth defects.
Since then, “the more we’ve learned, the bigger the problem seems,” said University of Utah pediatric infectious diseases chief Dr. Andrew Pavia.
Once considered a relatively mild illness, the Zika virus is now thought to cause a range of birth defects in children born to infected mothers, and it has been linked to a rare form of temporary paralysis called Guillain-Barre syndrome.
And although spread mostly through mosquitoes, sexual transmission is now thought to play a bigger role in Zika's spread than once thought, according to Pavia.
However, Zika-related deaths remain rare, he said.
A 70-year-old Puerto Rican man who died in February was the first U.S. death tied to the disease.
In that case, Pavia said, the man died as the result of an autoimmune reaction to an earlier Zika infection in which his antibodies started attacking his platelets.
Experts also believe that people who have weaker immune systems may be more susceptible to complications, although Pavia called the theory "speculative" at this point.
With containment proving difficult and Congress deadlocked over Zika funding, Pavia said the virus is likely to continue spreading throughout the Western hemisphere.
“It is really hard to mount an all-hands-on-deck response to a new infection when you have to steal money from one program and count pennies and recycle syringes,” Pavia said. “That's a slight exaggeration, but they’re really running out of spare change that they can find to do the work they need. We need funds to deal with this.”
The Utah Department of Health is awaiting about$826,000 in funding from the CDC expected to arrive next month.
But Democrats and Republicans in Congress are still fighting over President Barack Obama’s February request for $1.9 million in emergency Zika funding.
Last month, Democrats blocked a federal spending bill that would have provided $1.1 billion to fight Zika, arguing that Republicans had inserted "poison pills" into the legislation. Those included provisions that would have restricted Planned Parenthood and other clinics from providing contraceptive services related to Zika and threatened funding for the Affordable Care Act.
On Friday, Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, accused Senate Democrats of “playing politics with our health" in a statement about the Utahn's death.
The House passed a bill he sponsored that would have redirected leftover funds from the Ebola crisis to Zika. Democrats maintained that money was still needed to fight Ebola.
Without any indication that a vaccine or cure is on the way, Vitek reminded residents that prevention “is absolutely huge.”
People who are traveling to Zika-infected areas are advised to take precautions during the trip and after. For the most updated information about areas affected by Zika, visit CDC.gov/zika.
Because Zika can be sexually transmitted, women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant should not have unprotected sex with a man who has recently traveled to an area of the world where Zika virus is circulating for six months, health officials said.
The Salt Lake County Travel Clinic is available to educate travelers about preventing Zika and other diseases common in their destination. The travel clinic can provide necessary immunizations and prescriptions for the prevention of other travel-related diseases. Appointments can be made by calling 385-468-4111.
People who have traveled recently and who are concerned about any illness they may be experiencing should contact their health care provider.
Contributing: Katie McKellar
Email: dchen@deseretnews.com
Twitter: daphnechen_
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865657681/Salt-Lake-County-resident-becomes-first-Zika-related-death-in-continental-US.html?pg=all
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