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Ohio’s health department reports a COVID uptick, but no cases of West Nile virus – yet
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — It’s the end of summer in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Health reports cases of COVID are ticking upward. And even though there have been cases of West Nile virus in other states, there hasn’t been any in Ohio—yet. However, there are signs that cases of mosquito-borne illness could be on the way.
Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Ohio Department of Health, said have risen from 3000 cases earlier this summer to more than 8,000 cases last week. But he says even with the increase, there aren’t as many cases as in the past.
“Ohio had 18,883 cases reported last month. Compare that to the 41,344 cases we had in January of this year and the more than 500,000 cases that we had in January of 2022,” Vanderhoff said.
Vanderhoff said the Omicron variants continue to be prevalent in Ohio.
“Fortunately, the variants that are currently dominate – LP1, KP2, and KP3- are all within the same family of Omicron variants that we saw earlier this summer. This continues a trend of variants that are evolving to become more transmissible but are not producing greater variants of disease,” Vanderhoff said.
Vanderhoff said the new COVID vaccinations that are coming out now are meant to tackle the current variants. He advised immune-compromised people to make sure they get the vaccinations. He also advised people to get the one-time RSV vaccines and annual flu shots.
Vanderhoff said parents need to check to make sure their children are up to date on vaccines against preventable illnesses and get annual well checks, many of which can be done at health clinics in schools throughout the state.
West Nile Virus detected in mosquitoes but not people
The Ohio Department of Health reports Ohio gets an average of 58 cases of West Nile virus each year since it was first detected in 2001. But that average has dropped significantly; in the last five years, an average of eight cases are reported annually.
But Vanderhoff said health officials are on alert and have been trapping and testing mosquitoes.
“West Nile virus has been detected in our mosquito pools in 38 counties,” Vanderhoff said.
Vanderhoff said Ohioans should avoid being outdoors at dusk and dawn – the time when mosquitoes are most prevalent. And they should empty containers of standing water, wear mosquito repellent and protective clothing when they are outside. Many municipalities are also fogging to try to get rid of mosquitoes.