First American Zika Mortality Confirmation Alarms US As Disease Spreads In Mexico

Zika virus, which is quickly spreading throughout the Latin America region, has already reached Mexico and the spread has been sending alarms to Americans in the United States. While the mosquito-transmitted disease has mild symptoms besides resulting in birth defects in infected pregnant women, the rate at which it is spreading, including the continued growth of the mosquito population shows that it has the potential to reach outside the Mexican border.

No Zika-related cases, however, had been reported to have arisen in the US right now, although the first American who died from the virus was already confirmed in Puerto Rico on Friday. The 70-year old man residing near San Juan was infected with the virus and has been treated for less than a week. The man died due to internal bleeding caused by an uncommon immune reaction to the Zika virus in February, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The news about the American's death was not released immediately due to the need for the CDC to verify if Zika was indeed the cause of the man's death.

The infection has led to other three deaths in Columbia, although reports indicated that death from this infection is not usual among adults. According to The World Health Organization, the Zika infection is now a global health emergency following the findings that the large spike in microcephaly, a birth defect where the newborn's heads are smaller compared to the average size, was related to the outbreak.

With 683 cases of Zika infections reported in Puerto Rico, it appears that the small island has the most favorable conditions for mosquitoes. Reports from CNBC even showed that there have been 426 Zika infections found among people getting the virus elsewhere and through sexual contact from someone who had been infected in other countries.  

Zika virus is expected to become a larger concern for the Latin America, and most likely in the US when summer hits ofr it is a period when mosquito season is in full swing. According to Medscape, one in five Puerto Ricans is likely to be infected by Zika, hence, increasing the possibility of an outbreak because of the constant travel between the small island and the US.