Licking County man contracts Zika virus

A 60-year-old Licking County man contracted the Zika virus, the Ohio Department of Health confirmed after he returned from a trip to Haiti.

The man, and a 56-year-old Butler County woman, were the third and fourth cases of the virus identified in Ohio.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 52 travel-associated cases of Zika virus in 16 states and the District of Columbia before Ohio’s new cases, an increase from 35 cases in 12 states since Tuesday.

“Given the number of travelers between Ohio and Zika virus-affected countries, it would not be a surprise to see more cases,”  state Medical Director Dr. Mary DiOrio said in a statement. “There is no vaccine available for Zika virus so it’s important for Ohioans traveling to affected areas to take steps to prevent mosquito bites.”

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Zika virus primarily is transmitted through a mosquito bite, and there is no indication it can spread from person to person through casual contact. The CDC has confirmed a U.S. case in a non-traveler after the person’s sexual partner returned from an affected country and developed symptoms.

The virus is linked to serious birth defects. In October, Brazil's Ministry of Health recorded an unusually high number of cases of microcephaly, in which babies are born with small heads and incomplete brain development. Brazil is investigating 3,500 cases of microcephaly. It usually has 100 to 200 such cases per year, a number that might have missed some infants with the condition.

Because of this link, the CDC recommends pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant consider postponing travel to areas with Zika virus transmission.

Four out of five people infected by Zika have no symptoms. Those who do usually have mild symptoms lasting two to seven days, such as fever, rash, headaches, joint pain, muscle pain, lack of energy, weakness and pink eye. It typically takes three to 12 days for illness to develop after a mosquito bite.

Health officials aren't including the continental USA in their list of outbreak countries because the virus is not entrenched in local mosquito populations.