By Lori Kurtzman
COLUMBUS – Public health officials are working to contain Franklin County’s first known Zika case after a Columbus woman tested positive for the virus after a trip to the Dominican Republic.
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The woman is 38 and not pregnant, said Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long. She showed up in an emergency department on May 25 with symptoms of the virus. Officials announced on Monday that she had tested positive.
This marks Franklin County’s first Zika case and the 14th in the state.
Columbus Public Health workers are assessing the area around the woman’s home to see whether the daytime-biting mosquitoes known to spread Zika — Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus — are present, Long said. Workers could spray to kill those mosquitoes if needed.
More on controlling mosquitoes in The Columbus Dispatch
Zika, primarily transmitted by mosquitoes, has been linked to severe birth defects in infected pregnant women. The virus has become widespread in South America, Central America and the Caribbean (see map), and health officials recommend that women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant avoid travel to those areas.
Zika also can be transmitted sexually and can cause serious health problems for some. But most people won’t even show Zika’s mild symptoms, which include red eyes and fever.