Posted: September 16, 2016 Contributor: administrator
Zika Case in Utah Has Stumped Health Professionals
Until recently, the Zika virus has only been known to spread through mosquito bites, sexual contact, and blood transfusions. However, a new case of the virus has researchers scratching their heads. A man in Utah had been taking care of his elderly family member that had contracted the virus while traveling back in June. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the elderly man had an infectious level of the virus – over 100,000 times higher than average! Less than a week after the man’s death, the family member began to show symptoms of the Zika virus. He had not traveled to a Zika area, or been in contact with anyone that has, other than this family member.
The CDC is conducting a thorough investigation but has yet to figure out how the virus was spread to this man. According to Dr. Angela Dunn, the deputy state epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health, they have found no evidence of Zika-carrying mosquitoes in Utah. This poses the question: Can bodily fluids such as saliva, sweat or urine transmit Zika? Researchers have not found evidence of this yet, nor have they eliminated the possibility.