According to ABC 6, Columbus Public Health officials confirm the first case of Zika virus in a 38-year old woman they say had recently returned from the Dominican Republic.
“She sought medical attention at one of the local emergency rooms, and they tested her, and they learned that she tested positive for Zika” said Dr. Mysheika Roberts with Columbus Public Health.
Even though transmission has only happened to those who’ve traveled to affected countries outside the United States, health officials are urging caution to those in Central Ohio this summer. They say to avoid standing and empty stagnant water in items like bird baths, and old tires. They also urge people to wear long sleeve shirts and pants, and wear FDA approved insect repellents.
Investigators say that as the woman complies with a ten-day quarantine inside her home, and even though local transmission is unlikely, they will be spraying the area around her neighborhood for adult daytime mosquitos.
Hilliard resident Davi Ehrle says as a parent of two kids, she and others will be taking extra steps this summer to avoid potential problems.
“I think it was only a matter of time before we got it here,” Ehrle said Monday night.
Zika is most commonly spread by someone getting bitten by an infected Aedes species mosquitoes. The Health Department describes these mosquitoes as “aggressive daytime biters, but can also bite at night.” But it can also be transmitted sexually, and may be linked to some birth defects when a woman is infected while pregnant.
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