- West Nile Virus update. If you notice below where it
describes bird-to-bird and bird-to-human transmission, the article goes
on to say that handling birds without gloves or MASK is risky.
-
- Does this indicate that there is a limited aerosol risk?
In other words, is the virus contracted by handling a sick bird and breathing
in virus particles?
-
- This would be the first time, in the history of WNV that
there is even a hint of possibility of such transmission. This has NEVER
been considered in previous WNV articles in the years prior to the outbreak
of NY 99 isolate WNV-LIKE.
-
- Another question arises, if mosquitos are not the only
vector, can the virus be transmitted all year? The CDC is not really addressing
these questions. They only speak of possibility and risk factors. Nothing
concrete.
-
- Patricia A. Doyle, PhD
-
- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.clickitnews.com/emergingdiseases/index.shtml
-
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa Go with God and in Good
Health
-
- ----- Original Message -----
-
-
- West Nile Virus Update
-
- ProMED-mail promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu 11-9-2
-
- ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society
for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org
-
- [There is some overlap between some of these reports,
but they are reproduced on account of their different emphasis. - Mod.CP]
-
- In these updates: [1] Human, imported (New Mexico ex
Oklahoma) [2] Birds, direct routes of transmission [3] USDA-APHIS report
(Sun 3 Nov 2002) [4] ERAP report (latest news, as of Fri 1 Nov 2002) [5]
MMWR-ArboNET report (USA, 31 Oct to 6 Nov 2002)
-
- ******
-
- [1]
-
- New Mexico - San Juan County Resident Contracted West
Nile Virus In Oklahoma
-
- Date: Mon 4 Nov 2002 From: Marianne Hopp mjhopp12@yahoo.com
Source: New Mexico Department of Health, press release, Tue 29 Oct 2002
[edited]
-
- A resident of Northwestern New Mexico has been treated
and released from a Stillwater Area Hospital after being diagnosed with
West Nile virus infection. The 62-year-old man was fishing in Oklahoma
and after feeling ill was admitted to a hospital. The man had a positive
presumptive test performed by the Oklahoma Department of Health Laboratory.
-
- On 22 Aug 2002, New Mexico became the 40th state to confirm
the presence of West Nile virus. West Nile virus has been confirmed in
13 counties in New Mexico including Bernalillo, Curry, DeBaca, Quay, Roosevelt,
Lea, Colfax, Union, Chaves, Eddy, San Miguel, Socorro, and Sandoval. "If
the history of the disease in other states is an indication, if not this
year, then next, we may have our first human case of West Nile Virus that
originates in New Mexico," New Mexico Department of Health Secretary
Jack Callaghan said. "Even though the mosquito season is slowing,
in some areas of the state it is still warm. It is still important for
residents to take personal precautionary steps," he added.
-
- Most mosquitoes do not carry the virus and most people
bitten by a mosquito have not been exposed to the virus. Less than one
out of 150 people who are bitten by an infected mosquito get severely ill,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "It
is important for New Mexicans to realize that even though we have not had
a confirmed positive case of West Nile virus in a human, other states have
had several cases," Department of Public Health Veterinarian, Paul
Ettestad said. "From the description of the case and the timing, it
appears that the exposure happened while the New Mexico resident was in
Oklahoma."
-
- West Nile virus was first identified in the United States
in New York City in 1999. According to the CDC, as of today, 3391 laboratory
positive cases have been identified in humans and 188 people have died
as a result of the disease. There have been no laboratory-confirmed tests
in humans in New Mexico. More information is available on the New Mexico
Department of Health website: www.health.state.nm.us.
-
- http://www.health.state.nm.us/website.nsf/WebNavLookup/7D9B0D3259CD5B7F872566B80059E50D?OpenDocument
-
- Marianne Hopp mjhopp12@yahoo.com
-
- [2]
-
- West Nile Virus Direct Transmission: Bird-to-Bird; Bird
to Human?
-
- Date: Thu 7 Nov 2002 From: A-Lan Banks a-Lan.Banks@derwent.co.uk
-
- By Frank D. Roylance The Seattle Times, Wed 6 Nov 2002
[edited]
-
- Ever since West Nile virus first reached the United States
in 1999, health authorities have assured an anxious public that they could
not get sick from contact with dead or dying birds, only from the bite
of mosquitoes that carry the virus from birds to people. That's still the
official word from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
-
- Although there remains no scientific proof that sick
birds can infect people directly, some scientists and others who work with
birds say their experiences suggest otherwise. "I think it is possible
that people could get it," said Nicholas Komar, a vertebrate ecologist
at the CDC. "There is plenty of virus being shed by some species of
birds. When we make the statement that people are not known to be infected
directly (by infected birds), it doesn't mean people can't get infected.
It simply states what we know and don't know. People need to take precautions
and avoid risky behavior. And handling a sick bird with bare hands and
no respiratory protection is risky behavior." Health officials advise
people to use precautions such as gloves, plastic bags or shovels when
they handle dead birds. And natural-resources officials have urged hunters
to wear gloves, to wash up carefully after cleaning or handling game, and
to thoroughly cook their kill.
-
- Those advisories are now being underscored. "Whether
it's a virus like this or any other infection, it (West Nile) has brought
back to the forefront the things people should be doing all the time,"
said Mark Shieldcastle, a wildlife biologist with the Ohio Department of
Natural Resources. "It should be part of a hunter's daily way of life."
In New York last year, a young technician was cut during a bird necropsy.
Days later he was hospitalized with West Nile virus. After a second person
was cut this year, the state's wildlife pathologist, Ward Stone, ordered
everyone in his lab to wear stainless-steel mesh gloves sandwiched between
3 or 4 layers of latex gloves, in addition to the customary masks, face
shields and gowns. It slows down their work by half. But with thousands
of infected birds under the knife, and no vaccines or other treatments
to rely on, Stone said "the procedures are important."
-
- Although American crows have been hit hardest, birds
from more than 110 species have been felled by the virus, including game
species: wild ducks, Canada geese, pheasants, turkeys, pigeons, doves,
and grouse. When hundreds, perhaps thousands, of owls, hawks and eagles
in the Midwest fell ill with West Nile during the summer, there was speculation
that they might have been infected by eating smaller birds slowed by the
infection. That has not been proved; the raptors might simply have been
bitten by infected mosquitoes. But there is growing evidence that West
Nile virus might be spread in other ways.
-
- In 2000, scientists at the National Wildlife Health Center
in Madison, Wis., infected 9 crows with the West Nile virus in the laboratory.
The birds were then placed in a mosquito-free flight room with 7 healthy
crows. The birds all shared common food, water and perches. All the infected
birds were dead 8 days later, and the previously healthy crows began to
sicken and die. In a follow-up study recently submitted for publication
in a scientific journal, the CDC's Komar repeated the experiment with 18
different species of birds. "We were able to document direct transmission
in 4 of those," he said - American crows, black-billed magpies, blue
jays and ring-billed gulls. The healthy birds began to test positive for
the virus after 5 or 6 days of exposure to the infected birds. "We
don't know exactly what the mode of transmission was," Komar said,
"but we know it wasn't by mosquito bite." Other studies have
suggested some answers. Birds that touch or feed each other, share perches,
or come into contact with each other's feces might become infected that
way.
-
- http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/healthscience/134570125_westnile06.html
-- Banks, A-Lan a-Lan.Banks@derwent.co.uk
-
- ****** [3]
-
- Equine Cases of West Nile Virus Illness in 2002: 1 Jan
to 3 Nov 2002
-
- Date: Wed 6 Nov 2002 From: ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
Source: United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Inspection
Service, Update on the Current Status of West Nile Virus, as of Sun 3 Nov
2002 [edited]
-
- The total number of equine cases of illness caused by
West Nile virus (WNV) confirmed at the USDA's National Veterinary Services
Laboratories (NVSL) or reported by state officials so far this year is
12 843. That is an increase of 886 cases from one week ago.
-
- The cases are from 39 states: Alabama (88), Arkansas
(131), Colorado (378), Connecticut (1), Delaware (8), Florida (315), Georgia
(50), Idaho (1), Illinois (949), Indiana (688), Iowa (1,039), Kansas (629),
Kentucky (499), Louisiana (358), Maryland (16), Massachusetts (2), Michigan
(342), Minnesota (964), Mississippi (256), Missouri (681), Montana (134),
Nebraska (1,096), New Jersey (45), New Mexico (61), New York (28), North
Carolina (11), North Dakota (569), Ohio (636), Oklahoma (733), Pennsylvania
(79), South Carolina (7), South Dakota (671), Tennessee (124), Texas (986),
Vermont (3), Virginia (42), West Virginia (3), Wisconsin (127), and Wyoming
(93).
-
- http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/wnv/wnvstats.html
-
- ****** [4]
-
- West Nile Virus Latest News - as of Fri 1 Nov 2002
-
- Date Sat 2 Nov 2002 From: ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
Source: Environmental Risk Analysis Program, Cornell University Center
for the Environment, Fri 1 Nov 2002 [edited]
-
- In 2002 West Nile virus (WNV) has been detected in 43
states across the US and 5 provinces in Canada, from Saskatchewan to Nova
Scotia. In the US the only states where it has not been detected are Alaska,
Arizona (several cases imported from elsewhere), Hawaii, Idaho (though
detected in a raven in a bordering county in Washington), Nevada, Oregon
(human case contracted elsewhere) and Utah. In many states WNV has been
detected in all, or nearly all, counties, including several on the Mexican
border. [The remainder of the report is superceded by the MMWR report below].
-
- http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/erap/WNV/
-
- ****** [5]
-
- West Nile Virus Activity - United States, Thu 31 Oct
to Wed 6 Nov 2002
-
- Date: Thu 7 Nov 2002 From: ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, West Nile Virus Activity, Fri 8
Nov 2002, 51(44);999-1000 [edited]
-
- This report summarizes West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance
data reported to CDC through ArboNET and by states and other jurisdictions
as of Wed 6 Nov 2002.
-
- During the period Thu 31 Oct to Wed 6 Nov 2002, a total
of 88 laboratory-positive human cases of WNV-associated illness were reported
from Ohio (n=28), Michigan (n=11), Kentucky (n=8), Oklahoma (n=8), Texas
(n=8), Georgia (n=5), Louisiana (n=4), Iowa (n=3), Missouri (n=3), Florida
(n=2), Wisconsin (n=2), Tennessee (n=2), Maryland (n=one), Massachusetts
(n=one), Minnesota (n=one), and New York (n=one).
-
- During the same period, WNV infections were reported
in 219 dead crows and 93 other dead birds. A total of 810 veterinary cases
and 45 WNV-positive mosquito pools were reported.
-
- During 2002, a total of 3507 human cases with laboratory
evidence of recent WNV infection have been reported from Illinois (n=719),
Michigan (n=483), Ohio (n=413), Louisiana (n=321), Indiana (n=247), Mississippi
(n=182), Missouri (n=165), Texas (n=148), Nebraska (n=115), New York (n=74),
Kentucky (n=67), Pennsylvania (n=59), Tennessee (n=52), Iowa (n=48), Minnesota
(n=42), Alabama (n=41), Wisconsin (n=39), South Dakota (n=37), Georgia
(n=30), the District of Columbia (n=27), Maryland (n=25), Virginia (n=24),
Massachusetts (n=22), Arkansas (n=21), Florida (n=18), Connecticut (n=17),
North Dakota (n=17), Oklahoma (n=16), New Jersey (n=11), Colorado (n=10),
Kansas (n=6), West Virginia (n=3), North Carolina (n=2), California (n=one),
Delaware (n=one), Rhode Island (n=one), South Carolina (n=one), Vermont
(n=one), and Wyoming (n=one).
-
- Among the 3148 patients for whom data were available,
the median age was 56 years (range: 1 month to 99 years); 1676 (54 percent)
were male, and the dates of illness onset ranged from 10 Jun to 19 Oct
2002. A total of 187 human deaths have been reported. The median age of
decedents was 78 years (range: 24 to 99 years); 111 (59 percent) deaths
were among men.
-
- In addition, 7312 dead crows and 5436 other dead birds
with WNV infection were reported from 42 states and the District of Columbia;
8143 WNV infections in mammals (8130 equines, 3 canines, and 10 other species)
have been reported from 36 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware,
Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont,
Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming).
-
- During 2002, WNV seroconversions have been reported in
366 sentinel chicken flocks from Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, Texas, and New York City; 4827 WNV-positive mosquito pools
have been reported from 27 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware,
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Texas, Vermont, and Virginia), New York City, and the District of Columbia.
-
- Additional information about WNV activity is available
at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm and http://www.cindi.usgs.gov/hazard/event/west_nile/west_nile.html
-
- http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5144a5.htm
-
- ProMED-mail promed@promedmail.org
|
