Trumbull, Columbiana among counties getting state funds to test for zika

WARREN

No one has ever contracted the Zika virus in Ohio by getting bitten by a mosquito.

In all 14 cases in which Ohioans have gotten the disease, it occurred because the person was bitten by a mosquito in Zika-affected areas, such as the tropics and southern United States, said Dr. Mary DiOrio, medical director for the Ohio Department of Health. The mosquito responsible is the yellow-fever mosquito.

But Ohio does have Asian Tiger mosquitoes, and it is not known whether the Asian Tiger could eventually transmit Zika, DiOrio told an audience Thursday in the Trumbull County commissioners meeting room.

Furthermore, there is a fear that someone who contracts the Zika virus outside of Ohio might return to the Buckeye State and transmit the disease to Ohio mosquitoes, she said.

There’s also the risk that someone acquiring the disease elsewhere could spread it to Ohioans. Among the ways are sexual contact from a man to a woman, from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or at delivery or from a blood transfusion with infected products.

For all of these reasons, the Ohio EPA has awarded money to 18 counties – including Trumbull and Columbiana – so they can catch and test mosquitoes, kill them and educate the public about them.

Read more about the situation in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.