COLUMBUS — Central Ohio has seen its first case of the Zika virus, a Licking County man who recently returned from Haiti, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
The agency reported the 60-year-old man and a 56-year-old Butler County woman were the state’s third and fourth cases of Zika virus in returning travelers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 52 travel-associated cases of Zika virus in 16 states and the District of Columbia prior to Ohio’s new cases, an increase from 35 cases in 12 states since Tuesday, state health department spokeswoman Melanie Amato said.
The Zika virus, which may be linked to serious birth defects, has been spreading rapidly in Central and South America and the Caribbean (see map).
The World Health Organization said Friday that large-scale trials of a vaccine are at least 18 months in the future.