NEWS

Zika virus cases confirmed in Indiana, Ohio

Bob Strickley
Cincinnati Enquirer
An Aedes aegypti mosquito is photographed in a laboratory at the University of El Salvador. Health authorities continue their efforts to eliminate the mosquito, vector of the Zika virus.

Public health officials from the states of Indiana and Ohio reported the first cases of the Zika virus Tuesday morning. Ohio's second reported Zika virus case was then reported just hours later.

The Ohio Department of Health announced a 30-year-old Cleveland woman who recently returned from Haiti tested positive for the virus, which is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites.

Around 5:30 p.m., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention informed the Ohio Department of Health a second case of Zika virus was confirmed in a 21-year-old Stark County man.

He was also returning from Haiti, officials said, and the two cases are not linked.

“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,” said Dr. Mary DiOrio, medical director of the Ohio Department of Health in a news release. “There have been no reported cases of Zika virus disease transmission through mosquito bites anywhere in the continental U.S.”

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The Indiana State Department of Health announced that a resident also returning from Haiti tested positive for Zika.

“The risk of contracting Zika virus here in Indiana remains low, but we know that many residents are concerned,” Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Jerome Adams said. “We urge anyone visiting affected areas to take steps to avoid mosquito bites.”

The Indiana resident's case was not severe enough to require hospitalization.

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Prior to the Indiana and Ohio cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported 35 cases of Zika virus in 12 states and the District of Columbia.

The virus is mostly transmitted through a mosquito bite, and there is no indication it can spread from casual contact between individuals. However, the CDC confirmed a U.S. case of Zika infection in a person who had not traveled to a heavily impacted area after the person's sexual partner returned from an affected country and developed symptoms.

In Ohio, planning is underway to ensure  preparedness at the local and state levels prior to the 2016 mosquito season, which runs from May to October.

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The primary mosquito that transmits Zika virus is found in the tropics and southern U.S., but it is not established in Ohio, according to the release from the Ohio health department. Another type of mosquito found in Ohio may potentially transmit Zika virus, although it has not yet been implicated in the transmission of human cases.

“Prevention of mosquito-borne Zika virus transmission is the same as prevention of any other mosquito-borne diseases,” DiOrio said. “This includes taking precautions to prevent mosquito bites – such as using insect repellents, limiting exposure where and when mosquitoes are most active, and removing breeding sources such as containers that collect standing water.”

Following the announcements from Ohio and Indiana, Sen. Sherrod Brown and three other senators introduced a bill aimed to accelerate the development of a vaccine and treatments for the Zika virus.

“The Zika virus – like so many other public health threats – is never more than a plane ride away, and we must make sure the U.S. stands ready to prevent its spread and give care to those who need it,” said Brown in a release.

The bill would add the virus to the Priority Review Voucher Program run by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The program encourages the development of treatments for tropical diseases.

The CDC has provided a list of countries and regions to avoid visiting in an attempt to prevent further spread of the virus:

  • The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. territories
  • American Samoa
  • Barbados
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Cape Verde
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Curaҫao
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • El Salvador
  • French Guiana
  • Guadeloupe
  • Guatemala
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Jamaica
  • Martinique
  • Mexico
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Saint Martin
  • Samoa
  • Suriname
  • Tonga
  • and Venezuela.