On April 29, the CDC and the Puerto Rico Department of Health announced the first case of Zika-related death in U.S. territory, according to CNN.
The deceased was a 70-year-old Puerto Rican man who lived in the San Juan metro area. The man's death was due to a bleeding disorder with suggested ties to Zika. The disorder, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, occurred a few days after the man's recovery from Zika. His immune system was attacking platelets and preventing clotting.
Tyler Sharp, PhD, an epidemiologist at the CDC branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico, told CNN, "As an elderly man, this individual did have some underlying health conditions, but they were not life-threatening and not likely to have led to his death."
Eight other cases of ITP have been identified around the world in patients recovering from Zika infection. One those previously identified cases was also fatal.
"We do not know if there are risk factors in the person infected with Zika that would make them more susceptible to developing ITP," Dr. Sharp said.
The Zika virus has also been linked to Guillain-Barré syndrome and other neurological disorders. The link between Zika and the debilitating birth defect microcephaly, in which babies are born with abnormally small heads, has been confirmed by the CDC. The CDC has issued guidance for Zika transmission prevention and pregnancy. A recent survey found that 20 percent of at-risk American women remain unaware of Zika dangers.
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