Displaying items by tag: Zika virus

Summit County health officials say a local resident came back to Summit County with the Zika virus, after having traveled to a country where the Zika virus is present.

But medical director Dr. Margo Erme says there's no health risk from the case in Summit County.

"The person is not infectious to anyone in Summit County," Dr. Erme tells WAKR.net, "and the primary transmission is mosquito borne...and at the time the person was ill, there were no mosquitos."

Summit County Public Health is not releasing the victim's name, gender or travel location, citing privacy concerns.

But Dr. Erme does say pregnancy wasn't a factor in this case.

She also says there's been no known local sighting of the mosquito that primarily carries the Zika virus.

Dr. Erme says those who have to travel to areas linked to the Zika virus need to take precautions, and even locally, steps should be taken to protect against all mosquito borne illnesses, such as West Nile Virus.

(Summit County Public Health Department, news release) Summit County Public Health (SCPH) was notified by the Ohio Department of Health that a Summit County resident that traveled to a Zika Virus Disease infected country in late February has tested positive for Zika Virus Disease. Pregnancy is not an issue with the infected individual and since Zika Virus Disease is spread primarily by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the individual is not infectious. "This local case is not a threat to the public health of Summit County residents," stated Dr. Marguerite Erme, Medical Director, SCPH. The illness was mild, hospitalization was not required, and the individual is currently symptom free. To protect privacy, SCPH will not be releasing any additional details regarding the infected individual.

The most commonly seen symptoms of the Zika Virus Disease include fever, joint pain, rash or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache. About 80% of infected individuals have no Zika Virus Disease symptoms at all and hospitalizations and deaths are very rare. Symptoms are usually mild and appear two to seven days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. "The primary mosquito that carries the Zika Virus Disease, the Aedes aegypti, has not been seen in Summit County based on mosquito surveillance conducted by SCPH," according to SCPH Environmental Health Director, Bob Hasenyager.

Zika Virus Disease can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her child during pregnancy or at time of birth. The most serious complications linked to Zika Virus Disease are Microcephaly and other types of birth defects and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition that attacks the immune system and can cause paralysis. Zika Virus Disease in rare cases has also been transmitted sexually from male to female. Since there is neither a vaccine nor medications available to prevent Zika Virus Disease infection, pregnant women and women who may become pregnant should take recommended precautions:

If you are pregnant, postpone travel to the countries where Zika Virus Disease transmission is ongoing.

If your male sexual partner has traveled to, or lives in an area with, active Zika Virus Disease transmission, condoms should be used for the duration of the pregnancy. Discuss your male partner's potential exposures and history of Zika-like illness with your doctor.

If you are trying to become pregnant, talk to your doctor before you travel about your plans to become pregnant and the risk associated with Zika Virus Disease.

If you are pregnant or may become pregnant and must travel to one of these areas, talk to your doctor first and strictly follow steps to prevent mosquito bites during your trip.

If you are not pregnant, but your male partner lives in or has traveled to a country with Zika Virus Disease, consider using condoms.

Individuals who have traveled, or plan to travel, to areas where Zika Virus Disease transmission is ongoing could be at risk for exposure. For the most up to date list of Zika Virus Disease infected countries please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices. The positive case in Summit County is one of nine positive cases in Ohio and one of 346 positive cases nationally; all cases of Zika Virus Disease reported in the United States have been travel related.

Summit County residents should take precautions to protect against all mosquito borne illnesses as the weather gets warmer and people are spending more time outside during peak mosquito hours.

Wear long sleeves and long pants when mosquitoes are most active.

Use an EPA-approved repellent on skin and clothes.

Stay in places with air conditioning or use screens on the windows or doors to keep mosquitoes out.

Help reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home by emptying standing water from flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, pet water dishes, discarded tires, and birdbaths on a regular basis.

For more information on Zika Virus Disease please visit www.scphoh.org.

State health officials say they hope Spring Break and the Zika virus don't mix. But with many popular Spring Break destinations on the list of places with active Zika virus, the Ohio Department of Health is putting out a call for safe travel.

"Look at the CDC website to see if there is Zika virus transmission where they'll be going," ODH medical director Dr. Mary DiOrio tells WAKR.net, "and then to take precautions to protect themselves from getting bit by mosquitos if there is Zika virus in that area."

Dr. DiOrio has some suggestions for travelers.

"They should use EPA-registered insect repellents, and there are plenty available, and they can also wear long pants and long sleeved shirts, and then stay indoors, if they're not doing outside activities, stay indoors where there's air conditioning," Dr. DiOrio says.

Dr. DiOrio says that'll also help people protect themselves from other viruses that spread the same way.

She says those who are pregnant may want to postpone their trip.

UPDATE: State health officials say there's a second case of the Zika virus has been diagnosed in a Stark County man.

The Ohio Department of Health says the 21 year-old man returned to Ohio from Haiti, like the 30 year-old Cleveland woman first reported on Tuesday.

The ODH says the cases are not linked.

Earlier, the first case of the Zika virus has been reported in Cuyahoga County.

The Ohio Department of Health reports the Zika virus was discovered in a returning traveler from Haiti, a 30-year-old Cleveland woman.

Until the Ohio cases, There have been 35 cases reported in 12 states and D.C.

-----------

(News Release: The Ohio Department of Health) The Ohio Department of Health is reporting Ohio's first case of Zika virus in a returning traveler from Haiti, a 30-year-old Cuyahoga County woman, city of Cleveland. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was reporting 35 cases of Zika virus in 12 states and the District of Columbia prior to Ohio's case.

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

Planning is underway for a Zika virus tabletop exercise to ensure Ohio's preparedness at the local and state levels prior to the 2016 mosquito season that runs from May to October.

Of people infected with the Zika virus, 80 percent do not have any symptoms. When symptoms occur, they are often mild, lasting from several days to a week, and include fever, rash, joint and muscle pain, conjunctivitis (red eyes), and headache. Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon. Due to the possible association between Zika virus infections in pregnant women and certain birth defects, CDC recommends that pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant consider postponing travel to areas with Zika virus transmission.

"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. "There have been no reported cases of Zika virus disease transmission through mosquito bites anywhere in the continental U.S."

To prevent potential transmission through sexual contact, CDC recommends men with a pregnant sex partner abstain from sexual activity or consistently and correctly use condoms during sex for the duration of the pregnancy. CDC also recommends that pregnant women without symptoms of Zika virus disease be offered testing 2 to 12 weeks after returning from areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission.

CDC has issued a travel alert for people traveling to the following regions and countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing: the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. territories; American Samoa; Barbados; Bolivia; Brazil; Cape Verde; Colombia; Costa Rica; Cura?ao; 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. Zika virus disease has historically occurred in Africa, Southeast Asia and islands in the Pacific Ocean. In May 2015, Zika virus was found for the first time in the Western Hemisphere in northeastern Brazil. The virus has since spread throughout much of the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

The primary mosquito that transmits Zika virus is found in the tropics and southern U.S., but it is not established in Ohio. 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," Dr. 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."