SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Puerto Rico’s health secretary says the island has recorded its first Zika-related death amid an outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus.
Ana Rius said Friday that a 70-year-old Florida man infected with Zika died in February from a drop in blood platelets.
The U.S. territory has seen more than 600 Zika cases, with 73 of those involving pregnant women. Zika can cause severe birth defects, such as babies being born with abnormally small heads. Rius said all 14 pregnant women infected with Zika who have given birth have healthy babies.
Sixteen people have been hospitalized and four are believed to have developed a temporary paralysis condition known as Guillain-Barre because of Zika.
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