Infectious disease

July 13, 2007 -- A Polk County woman is Minnesota's first laboratory confirmed case of West Nile virus of the year. She developed meningitis in late June after becoming infected with the virus and is recovering. Last year, 65 cases were reported in Minnesota, with 3 deaths.

Minnesota has entered the period of highest risk for West Nile virus in humans, according to David Neitzel, an epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). “Mid-July through September is the time of year when you’re most likely to be bitten by an infected mosquito,” he said.    » read more »

July 10, 2007 -- SANTA FE – Today New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and New Mexico’s Congressional delegation urged the US Department of Agriculture to maintain the State’s status as a Tuberculosis Free state. In a letter to USDA Secretary Mike Johanns, Governor Richardson requested that dairy cattle in eastern New Mexico recently found to be infected with bovine TB be treated as a single herd. Bovine TB is a bacterial disease that affects primarily the upper respiratory tract of cattle.    » read more »

State health officials urge people to keep mosquito repellent handy

July 11, 2007 -- Warmer than normal weather conditions in June may put more western and central Minnesota residents at risk for West Nile virus (WNV) this summer than in previous years. While no human WNV cases in Minnesota have been reported to date, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) officials are concerned that people may be exposed to the virus early in the WNV season, which typically begins in mid-July.    » read more »

July 5, 2007 -- SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Public Health has confirmed through laboratory tests the second human West Nile virus case in Illinois for 2007. The Cook County woman is in her 50s and became ill in the latter part of June.    » read more »

July 2, 2007 -- PIERRE, S.D. – Temperatures are increasing and so are mosquito numbers, prompting health officials to remind South Dakotans of the importance of taking precautions to protect themselves from West Nile virus (WNV).    » read more »

June 29, 2007 -- [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – At today’s Illinois Delegation Luncheon, United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and fellow Illinois members signed a letter addressed to the Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Leslie Norwalk, urging CMS to reimburse hospitals for the costs of treating Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). MRSA is a preventable Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI) that is drug-resistant and can result in lengthy, expensive hospital treatments and death.    » read more »

June 28, 2007 -- AUGUSTA - The Department of Health and Human Services’ Maine Center for Disease Control reminds Mainers that while it is important for our overall health to enjoy the outdoors, it’s important to take some simple precautions that will reduce one’s chances of tick and mosquito bites.

“‘Clean Up, Cover Up, and Check Daily’ is our mantra,” said Dora Anne Mills, MD, MPH, Director of the Maine CDC.

• Clean Up unnecessary standing water, rain gutters, leaf litter, brush, and logs in order to reduce tick and mosquito habitats around the yard;    » read more »

27 June 2007 -- Health and veterinary experts have singled out Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria as countries where the risk of bird flu contagion is particularly worrisome. Gathered at the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome to take stock of efforts to contain the deadly form of bird flu, experts said important improvements have been made in some places, but there is no room for complacency.    » read more »

24 June 2007 -- Southeast Asian nations are worried about a surge in dengue fever this year. Experts say the disease, which usually gets less attention than more high-profile health threats such as bird flu, is spreading due to increased urbanization, migration and travel in the region.    » read more »

Mosquito Samples Also Test Positive for the Virus

Phoenix (June 21, 2007) – The 2007 West Nile virus season has officially begun in Maricopa County. Today, the Maricopa County Department of Public Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services confirmed that a West Valley man in his 60s is Maricopa County’s first human case of West Nile virus (WNV) this season. The man has been released from a local Valley hospital and is currently recovering from the virus.    » read more »

06-15-2007 -- Each year, Oklahoma consistently ranks among those states with the highest numbers of tickborne illnesses, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), ehrlichiosis, and tularemia. In 2006, 183 cases of tickborne illnesses were reported to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Thus far in 2007, 35 cases of tickborne illness have been reported in the state.    » read more »

14 June 2007 -- Indonesia's health ministry has confirmed another human fatality from bird flu.

If verified by the World Health Organization, it would bring to 80 the number of people who have died from bird flu in Indonesia. Indonesia has the highest number of human bird flu deaths in the world.

Meanwhile, in Burma, agriculture officials have detected a new outbreak of bird flu among poultry.    » read more »

14 June 2007 -- Agricultural officials in Burma say they have detected a new outbreak of bird flu among poultry.

Officials say the H5N1 strain of the virus has been confirmed at a poultry farm in Bago, around 80 kilometers north of Rangoon. Around 1,000 birds have been culled to prevent the spread of the virus.

Burma has reported several outbreaks of bird flu among poultry, but has not reported any cases among humans.

The World Health Organization says 190 people have died from the virus since the outbreak began in 2003, mostly in Asian countries.    » read more »

State Officials Remind People to Use Insect Repellant, Eliminate Standing Water

June 12, 2007 -- HARRISBURG - State officials today reported that the first mosquito sample of the 2007 season to have tested positive for the West Nile Virus has been found in Blair Township, Blair County. They reminded residents of precautions they should take to lessen the chance of being bitten by an infected mosquito.    » read more »

(June 8, 11:55 a.m.) A mosquito sample collected by Arizona's Maricopa County Vector Control officials in the Chandler area has tested positive for West Nile virus (WNV).

“This is another indication that West Nile virus is a current health risk and every Maricopa County resident needs to take the proper precautions to prevent mosquito breeding,” said Fulton Brock, Chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. “We all need to take part to ‘Fight the Bite’. We’re all in this together,” added Brock.    » read more »