Ohio is seeing an increase in cases of vector-borne diseases

OHIO – There are still many creepy crawlies in nature that pose their own risk of illness even as temperatures drop.

The Ohio Department of Health has provided an update on its vector-borne disease cases, which are spread by fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. In its October 17 update, ODH noted an increase in West Nile virus, Lyme disease and anaplasmosis.

According to the department, there are nine West Nile virus cases in the state, affecting four women and five men. The age of those infected was between 48 and 77 years. There is also one case in birds and three cases in horses.

The human cases are in Lucas, Henry, Auglaize, Hancock, Wyandot, Franklin, Lorain, Cuyahoga and Ashtabula counties. There were also three asymptomatic, viremic blood donors with West Nile virus.

Symptoms of West Nile virus, often transmitted through mosquito bites, include fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea or rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ODH also noted an increase in Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread through tick bites, to 1,002 cases from 953 cases reported in a previous update. Of these, 454 cases were among women and 547 were among men. The age of those infected was between 1 and 89 years.

The counties reporting the most cases include: Jefferson County, with 73; Tuscarawas County with 69; Licking County with 66; Columbiana County with 57 and Stark County with 45.

According to the CDC, common tick bite symptoms to monitor include fever, rash, chills and pain. The department recommends limiting exposure to areas where insects are present to prevent exposure to tick-related diseases. EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET or products containing 05% permethrin can also help prevent bites.

ODH reported 15 cases of anaplasmosis, an increase from the 13 previously reported. The cases involve five women and 11 men, ages 36 to 88.

Other cases of illness that remained unchanged from previous reports included three cases from La Crosse; three cases of babesiosis; There have been 13 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever and 17 cases of Ehrlichiosis, according to ODH.

You can find more information about preventing tick bites here.