Mosquito and tick season has officially begun in Ohio

Mosquito and tick season has officially begun in Ohio, and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) urges people to “fight the bite” and take precautions to prevent bites from mosquitos and ticks which can carry diseases such as West Nile virus, Zika virus and Lyme disease. In Ohio, ticks are most active April through September, and mosquitoes May through October. Ohio has a type of mosquito that can transmit West Nile virus, and 17 cases were reported in the state last year. The primary mosquito that transmits Zika virus is found in the tropics and southern U.S., but it is not known to be established in Ohio. Nationally, there have been more than 5,000 travel-associated Zika cases in the U.S. since Jan. 2015.