Three Men in Louisiana Are First With West Nile Virus

Associated Press ^ | Friday, July 12, 2002

[Dog Gone]

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Three men have been hospitalized with the West Nile virus, the first human cases of the potentially deadly infection reported in the nation this year, officials said.

A 78-year-old man was diagnosed with the mosquito-borne virus Monday, and two more men, ages 62 and 53, were diagnosed Thursday. All live in towns east of Baton Rouge.

Gary Belfamo, a public health veterinarian and assistant state epidemiologist, said officials suspect the men were exposed to the virus at least two weeks ago.

Dr. Anthony Marfin with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that the Louisiana cases are the first reported to the CDC in 2002.

West Nile virus has killed 18 people along the East Coast since it was first detected in this country in New York in 1999. Last summer was the most severe so far, with 66 human infections and nine deaths reported.

Mosquitoes spread West Nile from infected birds to humans, who can then develop deadly encephalitis, or swelling of the brain. Humans cannot pass the virus to each other. Symptoms are similar to the flu, including fatigue and fever. There is no cure for the virus.

``The likelihood is that this virus will cross the entire country,'' Balfamo said.

State officials said they planned to begin an awareness compaign to thwart an outbreak.

The CDC in Atlanta urges people to report dead birds to local health authorities and to protect themselves against mosquito bites by getting rid of standing water, where mosquitoes breed, and to wear insect repellent or long sleeves outdoors.

[blam]

Geez...I found two dead birds , a dove and a blue Jay, in my yard yesterday. The mosquitos are not bad though.

[CWW]

West Nile is also in Montgomery, Alabama via a recently dead Blue Jay.

[TomGuy]

10:35 a.m. CDT.
Just listening to Paul Harvey's report. He opened his news program with an advertisement for a mosquito device--due to the spread of West Nile Virus. Seems the opportunists are already on the bandwagon.

[Clara Lou]

The West Nile Virus has been identified in Houston, TX, in dead birds and in culex mosquitos. So far, it's only killed a horse in Harris county. (I didn't know that horses were susceptible to West Nile. I wonder what other animals are?)

[SGCOS]

This virus spen the last few years in New York, and is now in Louisiana. Hmmm....

[Barnacle]

Please inform your county health department.

Here in northern Illinois, three dead crows were found to be carrying the virus.

[Dog Gone]

West Nile is 100% deadly to Blue Jays, which is why authorities want to know where they are found. At least in Houston, they want residents to quickly put them in a baggie and notify the health department who will then test the bird for the virus.

[ladtx]

2 dead bluejays in North Dallas and Richardson have been determined to have West Nile virus. Looks like it's beginning to spread fast.

[jae471]

Good ole West Nile hype. While it can be deadly to some, so is the common cold. Truth is that alot of people get WNV and don't even realize it -- most have no symptons, or if they do, they are rarely worse than a mild cold. I wish I could find the numbers...

[dtel]

"(I didn't know that horses were susceptible to West Nile. I wonder what other animals are?)"

Yes, they even have a two stage vaccine for horses that has been available for a while.
As far as I know, cows are not susceptible, as we have not been made aware of a vaccine for them.

[nevergore]

Bring back DDT......

NeverGore

[antidisestablishment]

bttt

[blam]

"Truth is that alot of people get WNV and don't even realize it -- most have no symptons, or if they do, they are rarely worse than a mild cold. I wish I could find the numbers..."

Yup, I've seen those same numbers in my local paper. We lost some horses in this area last year to SLE.

[Clara Lou]

Agreed-- we need DDT. However, it will never happen. PETA terrorists will have a cow, it would be soooo politically incorrect and "anti-environmental" to do this. DDT should have been brought out when they first found the virus in NY or NJ.

[Clara Lou]

Blue jays?? 100% deadly?? They aggravate the fire out of me, but I don't want them dead. This makes me sad. (So far, the blue jays here are squawky and healthy. Found that out this morning down by the creek.)

[TomGuy]

Bring back DDT......

Well! You realize, of course, that you succeeded in offending, not one, but two, groups, don't you? The environmentalists AND PETA (aren't mosquitos covered under PETA's cause?).

LOL

[Eva]

This sounds like the type of media hype that is going to be discussed by John Stossel on 20/20 tonight.

I knew a man who had it in California, back in the 80's and has permanent brain damage, very sad. He had a wife and four young children and an invalid mother-in-law to support.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

We lost some horses in this area last year to SLE.

My father took suddenly ill early last August. All of a sudden he started slurring his speech, and he had been losing a lot of weight in past weeks. He lived at the time in Houston, Texas. My sister suspected SLE (St. Louis Encephalitis, not Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, just to clear that up -- my aunt died of the latter). We did some research on the web and found that a mosquito carrying the virus was trapped only one or two BLOCKS from his house. The spinal proved negative, however, so either it was a false negative or just a coincidence. The final diagnosis was a stroke. But how to explain the weight loss leading up to it? I wish I knew. He's in a nursing home now, at the ripe old age of 59.