West Nile virus blamed for a death in Louisville

Health officials have confirmed that one person in Louisville has died from West Nile virus and one other has been infected with it, Billy Kobin reports for the Louisville Courier Journal. 

No details have been released about the patient's death, due to patient privacy, Kobin reports.

Ann Robinson Burks, who was infected with the West Nile virus in September, told the Courier Journal that she is still fighting the virus.

Most people with the virus do not experience symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But about one in five who are infected will develop a fever with other symptoms such as headache, body aches, join pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash. 

Most people with the virus will recover completely, but the CDC warns that about one in 150 people with the virus can develop a serious illness, like inflammation of the spinal cord or brain. Older people and those with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and organ transplants, are at greater risk for serious illness if they contract West Nile.

The West Nile virus is most commonly spread to humans by bites from infected mosquitoes.

There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for the virus. To reduce your exposure to mosquitoes minimize your time outside when mosquitoes are most prevalent, such as dawn, dusk and early evening, wear clothing that covers your skin when outdoors, apply mosquito repellent and to cover your infant's stroller or playpen with mosquito netting.

West Nile virus report for Kentucky: four cases in humans, four in horses, and in some mosquitoes in Jefferson County

Four cases of West Nile virus have been found in Kentucky this summer: two in Hopkins County and one each in Jefferson and Fayette counties, the state Department for Public Health reported Friday. All were in adults. The number is below the annual average of 10 reported from 2012 to 2016.

All but eight states have reported cases of West Nile in people, horses, birds or mosquitoes this year, the department said. The virus is transmitted by mosquito bites. The Louisville health department recently found West Nile-infected mosquitoes in four Jefferson County ZIP codes (40204, 40205, 40206, 40208, 40212 and 40214), but there have been no other positive reports of mosquitoes with the virus in Kentucky.

“It’s common for us to find mosquitoes infected with West Nile in Louisville around this time each year. What this means is people should take the appropriate precautions, Louisville Health and Wellness Director Sarah Moyer told Darla Carter of The Courier-Journal.

The state health department says four horses have tested positive for West Nile, in Bourbon, Franklin, Hart, and Russell counties. The virus can cause severe illness in horses and certain species of birds, but does not usually affect domestic animals. There is no West Nile vaccine available for people, but several are available for horses, and owners are advised to vaccinate their horses annually.

In most human cases, infected people have no symptoms or show relatively mild symptoms, such as fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or rash. They typically recover on their own, though symptoms may last several weeks. Fewer than 1 percent will develop a serious illness such as encephalitis or meningitis. People over 50 and those with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease and organ transplants, are at greater risk for serious illness if they contract West Nile.

The health department advises Kentuckians to avoid mosquitoes, particularly between dusk and dawn, when the insects are most active. It recommends these precautions:

Avoid Mosquito Bites

·        Use insect repellents when you go outdoors. Repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide longer-lasting protection. To optimize safety and effectiveness, repellents should be used according to the label instructions. More information about insect repellents can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/faq/repellent.html.

·        When weather permits, wear long sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors. Mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing, so spraying clothes with repellent containing permethrin or another EPA-registered repellent will give extra protection. Don't apply repellents containing permethrin directly to skin. Do not spray repellent on the skin under your clothing.

Mosquito-Proof Your Home

·        Install or repair screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes outside.

·        Help reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home by emptying standing water from flowerpots, gutters, buckets, pool covers, pet water dishes, discarded tires and birdbaths on a regular basis.

More information can be found online at: https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/ or http://www.chfs.ky.gov/dph/epi/westnile.htm. 

New state public-health veterinarian appointed; her responsibility is diseases that spread from animals to humans

Dr. Kelly Giesbrect

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 75 percent of the new diseases that have affected humans over the past 10 years originated from an animal or an animal product. Kentucky has just appointed a new public health veterinarian, Dr. Kelly Giesbrecht, to help protect Kentuckians and the state's animal populations from such diseases.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Giesbrecht join our staff at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services,” Health Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said in a news release. “Her wealth of experience in public health and veterinary science is a perfect fit for this extremely important role and will be a tremendous asset to our work to improve the public health of Kentucky.”

Among other things, Giesbrecht is tasked with identifying and evaluating diseases that are spread between animals and humans, called zoonotic diseases.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says every year tens of thousands of Americans get sick from diseases spread between animals and people, which are caused by harmful germs like viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi.

Zoonotics are transmitted in several ways, including direct contact with the body fluid of an infected animal; indirect contact from touching a contaminated surface; being bitten by a tick, flea or mosquito; or eating contaminated food.

Some of the more recognizable ones in the United States are Zika virus, West Nile virus, bird flu (Avian influenza), rabies, cat scratch disease, Lyme disease, E.Coli and Salmonella, though there are many more.

Giesbrecht, who will be part of the Division of Epidemiology and Health Planning in the state's Department of Public Health, will develop policies, guidelines and strategies to control zoonotic and foodborne diseases and share information as needed to health experts and the public.

Giesbrecht comes to the department with over 22 years of combined experience in veterinary medicine and public health. She has a doctorate in veterinarian medicine from the University of Florida and a masters of public health from the University of Texas. After clinical practice, she spent 11 years in the U.S. Air Force as a public health officer and most recently worked at the Northern Kentucky Health Department as a regional epidemiologist.

Laurel County man talks about bout with West Nile; one of few diagnosed with disease in Kentucky

A Laurel County man has shared his story after contracting the West Nile Virus, which, though rare in Kentucky, has been more common nationwide this year than it has been since it was first discovered in 1999.

Kelly Curens spent three weeks at the University of Kentucky medical center, much of which was spent in an induced coma. He started feeling sick after a camping trip at Lake Cumberland, reports Phil Penderton for WKYT-TV. The illness started with a headache and graduated to feeling dizzy, which were symptoms to similar to ones he experienced a few years ago when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. When he went to the emergency room at St. Joseph London hospital, he had a seizure. 

Curens was one of the first in Kentucky to be positively diagnosed with the virus, which has affected more than 1,100 people nationwide this year. About half of the cases have been in Texas. Four horses have been diagnosed with the disease in Kentucky since Aug. 2. Craig Carter, director of the UK Veterminary Diagnostic Lab, said Kentucky is "still in the high-risk part of the season for West Nile infection."

Curens has been treated and is feeling much better now. "From what I was told, I'm very lucky," he said. "My blood sugar and blood pressure has always been good. Had I not been healthy I probably wouldn't be here today."

The elderly, infants and babies at the most risk, said Marion Pennington, regional epidemiologist at the Cumberland Valley District Health Department.

To protect oneself from the West Nile Virus, officials advise to:
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots and other containers that could collect water.
• Remove discarded tires from properties. They are the most common mosquito breeding grounds in the country.
• Drill holes in recycling containers.
• Drain gutters properly and clean gutters in the spring and fall.
• Turn over swimming pools and wheelbarrows when they aren't in use.
• Change the water in birdbaths on a regular basis.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools and hot tubs.
• Make sure screens on windows don't have holes in them.
• Wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants when outside in the early morning and late evening. (Read more)

West Nile outbreak light in Ky. but 'one of the largest' in nation

U.S. health officials reported Wednesday three times the usual number of West Nile cases for this time of year and one expert told the Associated Press it was “one of the largest” outbreaks since the virus appeared in this country in 1999.

So far, 1,118 illnesses have been reported, about half of them in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kentucky has reported few cases.

In an average year, fewer than 300 cases are reported by mid-August. There have also been 41 deaths this year. Most infections are usually reported in August and September, so it’s too early to say how bad this year will end up, CDC officials said. AP reports that West Nile virus peaked in 2002 and 2003, when severe illnesses reached nearly 3,000 and deaths surpassed 260.

 The best way to prevent West Nile disease, say experts, is to avoid mosquito bites. Insect repellents, screens on doors and windows and wearing long sleeves and pants are some of the recommended strategies. Also, empty standing water from buckets, kiddie pools and other places to discourage breeding. (Read more)

Many more serious cases of West Nile virus reported this year, but only one in Kentucky

Though only one Kentuckian has been affected, more serious cases of people infected by the West Nile virus have been reported this year than any since 2004. Through July, 241 cases were reported in 22 states. The virus has caused four deaths. Nearly 150 cases have been in Texas, particularly in the Dallas area, reports Mike Stobbe for The Associated Press.

Of the 241 cases, 144 were considered serious, meaning the virus spread to the brain and nervous system, causing, among other ailments, encephalitis. Last year, less than 700 cases were reported.
Health officials blame the combination of a mild winter, early spring and hot summer, prime conditions for mosquitoes to breed. "Unless the weather changes dramatically, we'll see more cases (in 2012) than we have in the last couple of years," said Roger Nasci of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 1 in 5 people who are infected with the virus get sick. One in 150 get severe symptoms, including neck stiffness, disorientation, coma and paralysis, Stobbe reports. (Read more)