UPDATE: The Ohio Department of Health now says a second case of Zika has been diagnosed in Ohio. That case case involves a 21-year-old Stark County man also returning from Haiti. The two cases are not linked.
A statement from the health department's medical director Dr. Mary DiOrio says, "Given the number of travelers between Ohio and Zika virus-affected countries, it would not be a surprise to see more cases."
Also, this story clarifies the status of the mosquitoes that carry the virus in the United States.
“Ohio has its first confirmed case of someone infected with the Zika virus. Statehouse correspondent Jo Ingles reports on the diagnosis of a Cuyahoga County woman.
Melanie Amato with the Ohio Department of Health says a 30-year-old woman from Cleveland who was returning from Haiti is the first in the state to be diagnosed with the Zika virus.
“She got it from being in a country that has the Zika virus. We found out from her primary-care physician.”
The mosquitoes infected with the Zika virus have not been found in the U.S. The varieties of mosquitoes that transmit the disease have been found in four states, but not in Ohio. The infection cannot spread through casual contact.
Due to a possible link between the virus in pregnant woman and severe birth defects, the Centers for Disease Control recommends women of childbearing age who have conceived or want to should consider postponing trips to areas where the Zika virus is being transmitted.
