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[THIS EMAIL FORWARDED FROM SOUTHWEST REGION HEALTH SERVICES OFFICER]
RE: West Nile Virus Update 10/02/2012
It's that time again, the weekly numbers are out and are as follows:
-Arizona: 67 cases
-New Mexico: 36 cases
-Oklahoma: 162 cases
-Texas: 1,438 cases
-Arkansas: 51 cases
-Louisiana: 213 cases
-Nationwide: 3,968 cases
I'd like to provide this statement from the CDC on the current stats:
"As of October 2, 2012, 48 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 3,969 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 163 deaths, have been reported to CDC. Of these, 2,010 (51%) were classified as neuroinvasive disease (such as meningitis or encephalitis) and 1,959 (49%) were classified as non-neuroinvasive disease."
The neuroinvasive disease was thought to only be prevalent in only a handful of WNV cases (one neuroinvasive case out of 10 non-neuroinvasive cases if I recall correctly) but now the current numbers are showing that the majority of cases are neuroinvasive. The neuroinvasive (WNV encephalitis) is the worst of the 2 types of WNV infections, and accounts for most, if not all, of the WNV fatalities (sentinel events).
With this discovery, I recommend that Safety Officers in each echelon ensure their personnel are aware of this information. I'm attaching an updated fact sheet, and it is my hope that it finds it's way to the email of every member in SWR. Safety Officers and Health Services Officers should educate themselves on WNV and the threat in their area, so that they may brief their personnel. If there are personnel in the Safety/HS tracks that aren't familiar with discussing public health risks, have them get in contact me so that I may mentor them to adequately deliver this information. As always, I am ready to assist with any questions that may arise.
Respectfully,
1st Lt Jermaine Down, NREMT-I
Health Services Officer
Southwest Region
health@swr.cap.gov
