A Puerto Rico man has died from complications from the Zika virus, although health officials highlight that deaths from the virus are rare.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that a Puerto Rico man died of a condition that causes bleeding into tissue and prevents blood clotting. Nobody has died from complications from Zika in the continental U.S.
The agency said that while Zika-associated deaths are rare, “the first identified death in Puerto Rico highlights the possibility of severe cases, as well as the need for continued outreach to raise healthcare providers’ awareness of complications that might lead to severe disease or death,” according to a CDC report.
The most common symptoms of Zika are a rash or mild fever, and only one in five infected persons shows symptoms.
However, the CDC recently confirmed a link between the virus and the birth defect microcephaly. The agency is exploring a link to the neurological disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause temporary paralysis.
The virus is spreading via mosquito bites in Puerto Rico, which has 683 confirmed cases, the CDC said.
The continental U.S. has more than 400 cases. However, the virus is not spreading via mosquito bites in U.S. borders. Almost all of those cases are due to people who traveled to Puerto Rico or another territory that has outbreaks.
There have been a small amount of cases from sexual transmission in the U.S.
The news of a death comes as Congress starts a week-long recess. Democrats objected that Republicans didn’t take up President Obama’s $1.9 billion funding request to fight Zika before leaving.
