- A ProMED-mail post
- <http://www.promedmail.org>
- ProMED-mail is a program of the
- International Society for Infectious Diseases
- <http://www.isid.org>
-
- [Reports of infection of new hosts, extensions of geographical
range, and
- information of special significance are posted separately
immediately on
- receipt. There is some overlap in the following reports,
but they are
- collected together because of differences in emphasis
and user
- friendliness. - Mod.CP]
-
- In these updates:
- [1] Human case (Colorado, ex Kansas?)
- [2] Humans, equines, dog (Nebraska)
- [3] Equine (Canadian horse in quarantine in Australia)
- [4] Human, probable (Vermont)
- [5] Human, first, confirmed (Rhode Island)
- [6] WHO report (as of 30 Sep 2002)
- [7] ERAP report (latest news as of Fri 27 Sep 2002)
- [8] USDA-APHIS report (as of Sun 29 Sep 2002)
- [9] MMWR-ArboNET report (USA, 26 Sep to 2 Oct; transplantation/transfusion
- recipients)
-
- ******
- [1]
- Date: Mon 30 Sep 2002
- From: Marianne Hopp <mjhopp12@yahoo.com>
- Source: Kansas Department of Health and Environment,
West Nile virus Update
- and Summary, Sat 27 Sep 2002 [edited]
- <http://www.kdhe.state.ks.us/news/web_archives/2002/09272002a.htm>
-
-
- Kansas: Colorado border case employed in Kansas
- -----------------------------------------------
- No human cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed
in Kansas, but a
- Colorado man who works in Kansas has tested positive
for West Nile virus
- (WNV) encephalitis, according to the Colorado Department
of Public Health
- and Environment and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. The
- victim is from Prowers County, Colorado, which borders
Hamilton County,
- Kansas. The man spends much of his time in Hamilton County
for work and
- recreation, and may have been infected in Kansas.
-
- He has been released from a Colorado hospital and is
recovering, according
- to Colorado health officials. While it is not known whether
the man was
- infected in Colorado or Kansas, it is important to remember
that infected
- mosquitos and birds travel from state to state and county
to county. So
- far, Hamilton County, Kansas is not one of the state's
87 counties where
- WNV has been confirmed in mosquitoes, birds, or horses.
-
- "Whether or not this victim was infected in Kansas,
residents should not
- panic, but instead focus their attention on avoiding
mosquitos and reducing
- breeding grounds for mosquitos around their homes and
communities," said Dr
- Gail Hansen, assistant deputy state epidemiologist for
the Kansas
- Department of Health and Environment. WNV is transmitted
when a mosquito
- bites an infected bird and then bites another animal
or a human. Infected
- birds carry the disease for a short time, but only mosquitoes
transmit it
- to animals or humans. "We are getting very close
to the time of year when
- mosquitos aren't a problem in Kansas, and without mosquitos
the virus does
- not spread." Dr Hansen noted.
-
- --
- Marianne Hopp
- <mjhopp12@yahoo.com>
-
- ******
- [2]
- Date: Tue 1 Oct 2002
- From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
- Source: Lincoln Journal Star, Tue 1 Oct 2002 [edited]
- <http://www.journalstar.com/latest_reg.php?story_id=27899>
-
-
- Nebraska: veterinarian confirms Scotts Bluff dog had
WNV
- --------------------------------------------------------
- The number of animal cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection
in Nebraska
- continues to rise, and now includes a 5 year old golden
retriever, a local
- veterinarian said. The dog recovered from WNV infection
within 2 days of
- being treated with fluids and antibiotics [role of antibiotic
in a viral
- infection not clear. - Mod.SH], said Gering veterinarian
Jerry Upp. Its
- owners, from Scotts Bluff, brought the dog in with a
high temperature and
- sore muscles. It also had experienced some behavioral
changes, he said. It
- is among the first confirmed cases of WNV in dogs. At
least 2 dogs in
- Illinois have had the disease. The virus was detected
when blood samples
- were sent to labs to rule out another illness, Upp said.
Another lab test
- confirmed the presence of WNV.
-
- This rare diagnosis is not something that should worry
dog owners. Upp said
- he would be surprised if they saw another case. "People
should just be
- aware of it and avoid taking their dogs out in the evenings
when more
- mosquitoes are present," he said.
-
- The Nebraska Department of Agriculture also said Monday
the number of
- horses with the disease has climbed to 1008. All have
been reported since 6
- Aug 2002. Scotts Bluff County has the most equine cases,
with 88, more than
- double the 41 reported cases in second-place Douglas
County. Holt County
- had 40 cases.
-
- One of the state's 4 suspected human deaths of the virus
[infection] was of
- a Scotts Bluff County resident. The other suspected deaths
were in Saline,
- Lancaster, and Buffalo counties. In total, 63 people
have been found to be
- presumptively positive for WNV in Nebraska as of Thu
27 Sep 2002, the
- Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said,
and 2 cases have
- been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
-
- ******
- [3]
- Date: Tue 1 Oct 2002
- From: Narelle Clegg <Narelle.Clegg@aqis.gov.au>
-
-
- West Nile encephalitis in a Canadian horse quarantined
in Australia
- ------------------------------------------
- The following is a report of a horse which exhibited
signs of encephalitis
- 5 days after it arrived in Australia. The horse was stabled
at the Eastern
- Creek quarantine station in Sydney completing the 14
day post-arrival
- quarantine period (PAQ) that all horses imported from
countries other than
- New Zealand undergo. Once a provisional diagnosis of
West Nile virus (WNV)
- infection was made, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection
Service (AQIS)
- released the horse from quarantine, along with the other
horses that PAQed
- with it. AQIS received confirmation of WNV from the Arbovirus
and emerging
- Viral Diseases Unit at Westmead Hospital in Sydney on
6 Sep 2002. The lab
- also tested the sample using the NY99 strain and obtained
positive results
- on 27 Sep 2002. Samples were forwarded onto Canada for
confirmatory
- testing, with positive results for NY99 strain using
PRNT method on 1 Oct
- 2002. This case was briefly mentioned as part of a previous
ProMED-mail
- post concerning an outbreak of equine rhinopneumonitis
virus type 1 [see:
- Equine herpesvirus - Australia 20020907.5249] where some
of the details
- were incorrect.
-
- --
- Narelle Clegg
- Manager Live Animal Imports
- Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
- <narelle.clegg@aqis.gov.au>
-
- ******
- [4]
- Date: Wed 2 Oct 2002
- From: Marianne Hopp <mjhopp12@yahoo.com>
- Source: Vermont Department of Health, news release, Sat
28 Sep 2002 [edited]
- <http://www.healthyvermonters.info/admin/releases/100202westnile.shtml>
-
-
- Vermont: second probable human case
- -----------------------------------
- Health officials today announced a second probable human
case of West Nile
- virus (WNV) infection in Vermont. The new probable case,
an elderly Windham
- County woman, was reported to the Health Department on
20 Sep 2002. The
- first probable case, a Franklin County man, was reported
earlier in the
- same month. Health officials are still waiting for confirmation
from the
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that
the laboratory tests
- on these 2 individuals are in fact positive for West
Nile virus. The man
- from Franklin County has recovered. The woman from Windham
County recently
- died; cause of death has not yet been determined.
-
- "This does not change our advice to the public,"
said Dr Patsy Tassler of
- the Vermont Department of Health. "People should
continue to take
- precautions to avoid mosquito bites." WNV is typically
spread to humans by
- the bite of an infected mosquito. To date, a small number
of infected
- mosquitoes have been identified in both Franklin and
Grand Isle counties.
- Tassler emphasized that the risk of any individual becoming
ill from the
- bite of a mosquito infected with WNV is very low. "Most
people who contract
- WNV have no symptoms and don't even get sick," said
Tassler. "Only about 1
- per cent of people who are infected develop illness that
requires medical
- attention." People over age 50 are the most at risk
of becoming severely
- ill from WNV. However, all Vermonters should take precautions
to avoid
- mosquito bites, Tassler said.
-
- Routine surveillance trapping of mosquitoes has documented
reduced numbers
- of mosquitoes in recent weeks. According to Tassler,
mosquito activity will
- stop for the winter in Vermont after a couple of hard
frosts. The Health
- Department continues to ask residents who see a dead
bird to report it by
- calling their local Health Department office. Since August
49 birds have
- tested positive for WNV (Chittenden, Franklin, Washington,
Addison,
- Lamoille, and Orange counties); 3 horses have tested
positive (Franklin,
- Addison, and Orleans counties); and mosquitoes have tested
positive in
- Franklin and Grand Isle county.
-
- --
- Marianne Hopp
- <mjhopp12@yahoo.com>
-
- ******
- [5]
- Date: Thu 3 Oct 2002
- From: Marianne Hopp <mjhopp12@yahoo.com>
- Source: Rhode Island Department of Health, news release,
Wed 2 Oct 2002
- [edited]
- <http://www.health.state.ri.us/media/021002a.htm>
-
-
- Rhode Island: first confirmed human case of WNV Infection
- ---------------------------------------------------------
- Today [Wed], the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH)
confirmed the
- state's first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) infection
-- a 66 year
- old woman with viral encephalitis, from Providence County.
The HEALTH
- Laboratory confirmed the presence of WNV in the patient's
cerebrospinal
- fluid (CSF) on Wed 2 Oct 2002. The patient survived the
disease and was
- discharged to home, completely recovered, after 5 days
in hospital.
- Confirmation of the disease as WNV does not materially
affect the type of
- treatment a patient receives.
-
- HEALTH officials estimated that exposure to a WNV infected
mosquito
- probably occurred during Labor Day weekend. Officials
could not confirm
- where the critical exposure took place. A review of medical
records
- indicated a history of multiple mosquito bites especially
during outdoor
- excursions in Massachusetts and Connecticut around Labor
Day.
-
- This case represents the first confirmed human case in
the state. As of Wed
- 2 Oct 2002, US public health officials reported 2430
human cases and 125
- deaths nationwide. In response to this case, HEALTH will
continue its
- stepped up monitoring for other cases with local hospitals
and infectious
- disease experts. HEALTH plans to contact health care
providers, hospital
- emergency units, and urgent care centers to advise them
about the diagnosis
- of possible cases. Officials do not plan to recommend
other environmental
- measures or restrictions this late in the season, but
will keep the public
- informed if any new events develop. Human WNV happens
only after a bite
- from an infected mosquito. It is not possible to get
WNV directly from
- birds or from person-to-person contact. Although mosquito
activity is low,
- it still exists during this warm fall weather. Bites
are less common, and
- no new mosquitoes are being produced, but there will
be some mosquito
- activity, particularly during periods of warmer daytime
temperatures. This
- will continue until the weather returns to its seasonal
low temperatures
- and hard frosts.
-
- --
- Marianne Hopp
- <mjhopp12@yahoo.com>
-
- ******
- [6]
- Date: Tue 1 Oct 2002
- From: Marianne Hopp <mjhopp12@yahoo.com>
- Source:World Health Organisation (WHO) Disease Outbreaks
Report, Tue 1 Oct
- 2002 [edited]
- <http://www.who.int/disease-outbreak-news/n2002/october/1october2002.html>
-
-
- West Nile Virus in the United States - WHO update 5
- ---------------------------------------------------
- As of Mon 30 Sep 2002, the WHO Collaborating Centre for
Arthropod-Borne
|