Posted on 07/23/2002 9:33:00 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Houston man has West Nile virus
07/23/2002
HOUSTON - State and federal health officials said tests have now confirmed that a Houston man is the first human infected by the West Nile virus in Texas.
The man, who lives near Addicks Reservoir in western Harris County, was treated and released.
Another man, from Orange County, remained in guarded condition at Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center with what doctors describe as encephalitis and muscle weakness on his right side. Blood tests that could link his illness to the West Nile virus were expected later Tuesday.
KHOU-TV Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center |
West Nile has symptoms similar to other mosquito-borne illnesses.
Officials said the Orange County man is in his 50s and from a part of the state where horses have been diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease. The culex mosquito, which is active at night, can transmit the virus to birds, horses and occasionally people.
Until now, only birds and horses have tested positive for West Nile in Texas.
Two birds in Dallas and one in Garland have been identified with the disease. Dallas city workers sprayed parts of Oak Cliff Tuesday morning in an effort to control mosquito infestations.
Houston area officials were preparing an aerial spraying assault on mosquito breeding grounds.
WFAA-TV, KHOU-TV and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Which are???????????????? Come on reporters!
I found a web site which showed that a mosquito carrying SLE had been trapped TWO BLOCKS from my father's house. The coincidences just seemed too hard to explain away. He now lives in a nursing home in California. I just thought it was strange reading about a man with encephalitis at the very same VA Hospital, at the same time of year (late July for both this man and my father).
Al Queda and West Nile Virus.
Connection or co-incidence?
When West Nile first came to prominance in New England and New York, there was a lot of speculation about that, especially considered where the disease originates.
But we were reassured that this was "Just an isolated incident"
When they nuke NYC, that going to be an isolated incident too.
Symptoms can vary greatly. Some people don't show any signs of being infected; others experience mild flu-like conditions including fever, headache, muscle ache, joint pain and fatigue. "Most people who get infected fall into the mild spectrum, meaning they have no symptoms or they experience the blahs for a day or two," says Dr. Ostroff. Staying Safe has the tips you need to reduce your risk of exposure.
The most dire consequence is encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain that can be fatal. Seven people died in New York of encephalitis caused by the West Nile virus, and 62 people became sick. A survey conducted by the New York City Department of Health estimates that between 533 and 1,903 people were infected with West Nile virus in the section of Queens that was hardest hit.
There is no vaccine against West Nile virus, nor is there a cure for it or for encephalitis. Health professionals can provide "supportive" care to patients who contract either ailment. "We can help your body get through the infection," says Richard Johnson, M.D., professor of neurology, microbiology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, "but it's really up to the person's body to be able to clear the virus." If you have trouble breathing, we can breathe for you. If you have a fever, medications can help bring it down." The severity of illness depends on how the host's body reacts to the virus.
Also see Encephalitis
In a way, FR is my family. My only close family is my sister, who is heavily liberal. No comfort there.
Oh, great. That's about five miles from me.
You know, you nailed it, I think. If you were to confront an enviro-whacko with the opinion that their radical agenda has left us more susceptible to infectious disease, I guarantee you the response would likely be "so what? We have about 10,000 times more humans than we ought to have anyway!"
My dad lived on Leeland Avenue, not far from I-45. Some nearby streats are Cullen, Telephone Road, and Calhoun. I'm not terribly familiar with the area, but I believe it was roughly in the southeast part of Houston, but well within the 610 loop. Funny story -- back during Tropical Storm Allison, which flooded areas not all that far from my Dad, I was the one who told HIM about the flooding. He was so reclusive, all he knew is that it was raining a lot. Maybe that should have been a clue that his health was failing, now that I think of it.
He's on the South side of town; most of the reports of infected birds, etc., are on the North and West.
He's in California now. He took ill a year ago, late July. I'm glad he's out of there. I hated the Houston climate when I visited. It's like that up here in Connecticut right now -- hot, sticky, stagnant, humid. Lots of bugs, too. Every morning I walk through a cloud of moths and other bugs as I leave for work. And I live one town north of Lyme (for which Lyme Disease is named), with lots of deer that wander through my property. In fact, my Dad contracted Lyme back in the eighties -- making me wonder if it weakened his immune system permanently, and left him susceptible to later illnesses (last year wasn't the first time he got very sick -- but it was the worst of his illnesses).
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