Ohio Vector-Borne Disease Update: January 9, 2023

Here is the latest update from the Zoonotic Disease Program at the Ohio Department of Health, as of January 9, 2023:

Vector-borne disease information will continue to be updated on ODH’s website and more details can be found at: https://odh.ohio.gov/vectorupdate.

2022 MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASES

West Nile Virus 

Mosquito surveillance

• 453,586 Culex spp. from 64 agencies in 51 counties pooled into 14,067* samples.
• 946 West Nile virus positive mosquito samples.

* Testing agencies: Ohio Department of Health using RT-PCR assay = 9,917 pools reported, Franklin County Public Health using RAMP assay = 1,358 pools reported, Columbus Public Health using VecTOR assay = 555 pools reported, Columbus Public Health using RAMP assay = 602 pools reported, Licking County Health Department using RAMP assay = 118 pools reported, Toledo Area Sanitary District using qPCR = 1,517.

Human surveillance

• 7 West Nile virus cases: 3 females and 4 males, median age 52 years, from 3 counties – Cuyahoga (2), Franklin (2), and Montgomery (3).
• 2 West Nile virus asymptomatic viremic blood donors.
• 0 West Nile virus asymptomatic viremic organ donors.

Veterinary surveillance

• 3 West Nile virus equine cases.
• Reported by the Ohio Department of Agriculture Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.

La Crosse/California encephalitis virus

Human surveillance

• 13 La Crosse virus disease cases: 5 females and 8 males, median age 9 years, from 10 counties – Coshocton (2), Franklin (1), Knox (1), Muskingum (3), Perry (1), Richland (1), Ross (1), Stark (1), Tuscarawas (1), and Vinton (1).
• 0 unspecified California virus cases.

Travel-associated mosquito-borne diseases

Human surveillance

• 2 chikungunya virus cases: 1 female and 1 male, median age 26 years, traveled to – India (1) and Tanzania (1).
• 4 dengue virus cases: 1 female and 3 males, median age 31 years, traveled to – El Salvador (1), Guatemala (1), Nepal (1), and multiple countries (1).
• 0 Zika virus cases.
• 76 malaria cases: 29 females and 47 males, median age 39 years, traveled to – Cameroon (4), Central African Republic (1), Chad (3), Cote d’Ivoire (2), Democratic Republic of the Congo (4), Gambia (1), Ghana (5), Guinea (7), Kenya (2), Liberia (1), Madagascar (1), Mali (1), Nigeria (4), Pakistan (1), Senegal (2), Sierra Leone (22), South Sudan (2), Tanzania (1), Uganda (5), and unknown countries (7).

* Ohioans traveling to areas where local transmission is occurring should be aware of the ongoing situation and make every effort to avoid mosquito bites.  Additional information can be found from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Travelers’ Health and Pan-American Health Organization websites.

2022 TICKBORNE DISEASES

Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis

Tick surveillance

• 1,272 blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, identified from 66 counties – Allen (1), Ashland (3), Ashtabula (21), Athens (23), Belmont (19), Brown (1), Butler (2), Carroll (8), Champaign (1), Clark (1), Clermont (5), Columbiana (153), Coshocton (108), Cuyahoga (37), Defiance (1), Delaware (2), Erie (5), Fairfield (3), Franklin (187), Gallia (65), Geauga (18), Greene (1), Guernsey (63), Hamilton (20), Harrison (1), Henry (1), Highland (15), Hocking (190), Holmes (5), Huron (3), Jackson (2), Jefferson (15), Knox (13), Lake (30), Licking (10), Lorain (9), Lucas (2), Mahoning (9), Medina (8), Meigs (2), Mercer (1), Miami (1), Monroe (4),  Montgomery (3), Morrow (1), Muskingum (3), Noble (1), Ottawa (1), Perry (1), Pickaway (17), Pike (23), Portage (15), Richland (6), Ross (16), Scioto (1), Stark (13), Summit (42), Trumbull (9), Tuscarawas (5), Vinton (4), Warren (1), Washington (3), Wayne (17), Williams (2), Wood (5), Wyandot (13), and unknown counties (1).

Human surveillance

• 519 Lyme disease cases: 193 females and 325 males, median age 26 years, from 53 counties – Allen (2), Ashland (4), Ashtabula (1), Athens (2), Belmont (46), Brown (2), Butler (3), Carroll (11), Champaign (1), Clark (1), Clermont (15), Columbiana (23), Coshocton (14), Cuyahoga (28), Delaware (3), Fairfield (20), Franklin (36), Gallia (6), Geauga (6), Guernsey (4), Hamilton (19), Hancock (1), Harrison (8), Highland (1), Holmes (34), Jackson (13), Jefferson (10), Knox (10), Lake (5), Licking (9), Lucas (1), Madison (1), Mahoning (8), Marion (2), Medina (6), Monroe (1), Morgan (2), Morrow (1), Muskingum (18), Noble (2), Pickaway (1), Pike (1), Portage (9), Richland (11), Ross (17), Scioto (3), Stark (27), Summit (16), Trumbull (18), Tuscarawas (28), Warren (4), Washington (1), and Wayne (3).
• 11 anaplasmosis cases: 4 females and 7 males, median age 64 years, from 7 counties – Columbiana (1), Franklin (3), Gallia (1), Greene (1), Jackson (2), Stark (1), and Warren (2).
• 4 babesiosis cases: 2 females and 2 males, median age 52 years, from 4 counties – Athens (1), Hamilton (1), Montgomery (1), and Stark (1).

Rocky Mountain spotted fever

Tick surveillance

• 1,158 American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis, identified.

Human surveillance

• 40 Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases: 19 females and 21 males, median age 44 years, from 15 counties – Athens (2), Butler (1), Clermont (1), Cuyahoga (1), Delaware (1), Gallia (5), Hamilton (1), Jackson (18), Lucas (1), Meigs (2), Montgomery (1), Muskingum (1), Pike (2), Ross (1), Stark (1), and Warren (1).

Ehrlichiosis

Tick surveillance

• 300 Lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum, identified.

Human surveillance

• 15 ehrlichiosis cases: 6 females and 9 males, median age 53 years, from 12 counties – Athens (2), Butler (1), Fairfield (1), Gallia (3), Hamilton (1), Hocking (1), Madison (1), Meigs (1), Portage (1), Preble (1), Ross (1), and Stark (1).

You may contact the Zoonotic Disease Program (614-752-1029, option 1) if you have any questions.