Vector-borne disease cases—spread by ticks, fleas and mosquitos—continue to rise in the Buckeye State.

The Ohio Department of Health partnered with with local health, sanitary district partners and ODH Laboratory to moniter these diseases statewide including the mosquito-spread West Nile Virus, La Crosse and travel-associated diseases and the tick-spread Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) and Ehrlichiosis are monitored.

What You Need To Know

  • Ohio Department of Health partnered with with local health, sanitary district partners and ODH Laboratory to moniter these diseases statewide

  • As of Sept. 12, the state reported 632 human cases of Lyme disease
  • The cases were contained to 64 counties across the state with Jefferson County reporting the most with 44 cases

  • The most common symptoms to monitor with a tick bite are fever/chills, rash, aches and pains 

ODH updates its tracking of the diseases here each Friday.

On Sept. 6, ODH reported 518 cases of Lyme disease, but as of Sept. 12, the state reported 632 human cases. The cases were contained to 64 counties across the state with Jefferson County reporting the most with 44 cases, followed by Licking County with 43, Columbiana with 39 cases, Tuscarawas reported 35 cases and Stark County had 34. 

Of the 632 cases, 283 were male and 349 were male.

The most common symptoms to monitor with a tick bite are fever/chills, rash, aches and pains according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC said the best way to prevent contracting Lyme disease is to prevent tick bites by knowing where to expect ticks, limiting exposure to those areas, treating clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin and using EPA registered insect-repellent containing DEET. For more information on preventing tick bites, click here.

Other disease counts reported by ODH were 11 anaplasmosis cases, two cases of babesiosis, 12 RMSF cases and 16 Ehrlichiosis cases. The data shows a new RMSF case from the Sept. 6 report.

Mosquito-spread diseases also saw an increase. Three West Nile Virus cases were reported in Lorain, Wyandot and Hancock counties. The cases belong to one female and two male persons. The single case of La Crosse remains in Wayne County in a 6-year-old boy.

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