First person dies of Zika in the continental US

A woman in Utah with the infection has died, two months another death in Puerto Rico

It is not known if Zika was the sole cause of the person's death

An elderly woman in Utah infected with the Zika virus has died – the first such death in continental US, according to authorities.

The resident of Salt Lake County, Utah died in late June. She has not been identified.

The woman reportedly had an underlying health condition and had travelled to areas known to spread the virus.

“While this individual did test positive for Zika virus, the exact cause of death has not been determined, and it may not be possible to determine how the Zika infection contributed to the death,” the health department said in a statement.

The department only discovered the woman had Zika after looking at her death certificate.

“Due to health privacy laws, health officials will not release further details about the individual or the individual’s travel history.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the death and said that 1,132 cases of Zika have so far been reported in the US.

Zika is not known to be fatal, although pregnant women are at risk from contracting Microcephaly, a birth defect which affects the size of a baby's head.

As of 23 June, there are close to 300 pregnant women in the US with the Zika virus.

Officials said this is the first death in the continental US related to the virus.

“This unfortunate situation is a tragic reminder of how important it is to receive proper pre-travel education and to protect yourself from mosquitoes when traveling abroad,” said Dr Dagmar Vitek, medical director for Salt Lake County health department in a statement.

“In addition to Zika, travellers need to be mindful of other diseases found around the world, including mosquito-borne illnesses like Dengue fever, malaria, and chikungunya."

The death of the woman in Utah follows the first death from Zika in Puerto Rico in April as a result of severe internal bleeding due to lack of platelets in the blood.

There have been no reported cases of locally transmitted Zika in continental US. Most people - around 80 per cent - who contract the virus show no symptoms, but symptoms can include joint ache, fever and red eyes, according to Dr Vitek.

Congress has still not approved the $1.9bn of emergency funding which the White House requested in February.