[image-1]According to a news release from the Ohio Department of Health, the first case of the Zika Virus has been discovered in Ohio.
A 30-year-old Cleveland woman contracted the virus on a recent trip to Haiti. Prior to this report, 35 cases of Zika have been reported in 12 states by the Center for Disease Control.
The Zika virus, transmitted chiefly through mosquito bites in Brazil and other parts of Central and South America, has made headlines for its calamitous medical effects on pregnant women. It's thought to be a cause of microcephaly — "shrunken head syndrome."
An Ohio health official, late in January, correctly predicted that it was only a matter of time before the Zika virus arrived in Ohio. Almost every reported case is from a recent traveler to Central or South America. Haiti is adjacent to the Dominican Republic on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, just south and east of Cuba.
Though there's no indication that the virus may be contracted through casual contact, and though the Zika-transmitting mosquitos aren't currently found in Ohio, state health officials say a "tabletop exercise" is being planned to ensure preparedness for Ohio's mosquito season regardless.
The mosquito season runs (loosely) from May to October.
