Another totally preventable disease strikes..

[sun]

The Center for Communicable Disease, an arm of the U.S. Government, and the U.S. Geological Service, together, moniter West Nile Virus...You know the mosquito born illness...totally preventable..

AS of September 12, 1620 cases have been reported across the U.S.
The number of deaths has not been followed this year...

The ratio is usually about l/20 reported cases die...depending on the state.

That means probably close to l00 deaths so far...(real total unkown)

This year's cases are in the West..California, Nevada, Idaho, South and North Dakota..also in Illinois..Texas.. I have read that people as young as early 40s have gotten this and died, although the two that I know that died in previous years were over 70..Sadly, like the other current discussion about E. Coli , this too is totally preventable..Fortunately most people who get this, do not even know it. Young people are especially strong, and generally show no symptoms.
....75 to 80 percent of the mosquitos in U.S.A. do not even carry the virus..So most mosquito bites mean nothing...And certain eastern staes, like New York, even though there is a population of 19 million, have very few, less then 10 reported cases, where Idaho, has over 300..Why??? For other poeople to know..Any guesses??
...For more information try the CDC West Nile Virus home page...http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm

[RD!]

...huh?

[Mr. Pedro]

*SMACK*

That's one more case of West Nile prevented. :p

I guess this means that Florida is somewhat fortunate in this matter. We've spent the bulk of the Summer with a drought, and it's only been recently that it's been raining often enough to create ideal mosquito-breeding conditions.

Of course, considering my family history with heart problems and diabetes, West Nile really isn't very far up on the list of diseases that I'm concerned about. :shrug:

[sun]

Here is the map, updated as of September 12 of cases across the U.S.A

At this point, Florida seems to have very few..but who knows what they will have in a few weeks..??? (New map Due on September 19 with update..)

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/images/WNV_912_06_a.jpg (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/Mapsactivity/surv&control06Maps_PrinterFriendly.htm)

[Strollymonster]

I'll wait until it starts killing more people than those that die falling down stairs every year until I worry too much about it.

Really, you don't have to care much unless you're really old or young or immuno-compromised...in which case, you have bigger things to worry about, like pneumonia or the flu.

[sun]

I'll wait until it starts killing more people than those that die falling down stairs every year until I worry too much about it.

Really, you don't have to care much unless you're really old or young or immuno-compromised...in which case, you have bigger things to worry about, like pneumonia or the flu.
Since this disease is preventable, and since one of it's consequences is pneumonia, and "flu like symptoms" those who are immuno-compromised might be wise to use insect repellent to prevent the pneumonia or flu like symptoms that result from these simple insect bites...Now that map above, only shows
reported cases.

...Who knows how many cases go unreported..no one. Perhaps it is just reported as pneumonia..and that is it..Many do not test for west nile...
What is the use if the person is so sick that they don't have the time to look for it, or the hospital doesn't have the equipment..If you are not looking for something, you will never find it..I am old enough to recall the beginning of the aids epidemic..It took them three or four years to even identify the illness., as a separate illness, and connect the dots..Yes, it is true most on this forum do not have to worry about. True..
..but in the U.S.A..you might have an uncle or father or grandparent that you care about and this one is totally preventable..so tell them to use the insect repellent if they are out at dusk, or dawn, for more than a few minutes..Well it is the end of the season, only a few hundred more will get it. Does it matter?????:confused:
..

[SirLemming]

This doesn't strike me as "totally preventable". I mean, if a mosquito sneaks up on you, you're screwed.

[Discloner]

The only thing really you can do to 'prevent' west nile is to use repelant when you go outside...but even then that's not a 100% full-proof prevention method. All states do testing on birds and trapped Mosquitos to better predict how at-risk the residents within the state (and general area) are, but really other than that there isn't much else you can do to prevent it.

Aside from what's on the news when the summer pops up and West Nile is a huge deal (atleast in RI its a big deal...despite the fact that we rarely have any cases) I really don't know too much about the disease, but I'm pretty sure that you can live through it if caught early enough.

[Tenku]

I just find this funny as I lived in Louisiana for about seven years, went outside and get my legs and arms (or any exposed skin) being covered in mosquito bites, and not get sick at all. But this was like ten years ago.

[tucsoncoyote]

I'll wait until it starts killing more people than those that die falling down stairs every year until I worry too much about it.

Really, you don't have to care much unless you're really old or young or immuno-compromised...in which case, you have bigger things to worry about, like pneumonia or the flu.

And Speaking of Flu....

You know the 2006-07 Flu season starts in about 4 weeks (The First Report from the CDC will be posted 13 October) and in fact it's funny that you talk about Influenza.. in 2002 we had a major Flu Outbreak that was so bad that of the 50 States in the US 49 of them had Widespread outbreaks at the height of the Flu season and that was luckily a less Virulaent Strain...

But if you think that you shouldn't worry about Flu, you forget Avian Flu.. Just remeember that all a Flu Bug has to do is Mutate or alter it's Genetics and it can jump from Birds to Humans.. and Bird Flu has a Lot Higher Mortality then most human flus.. (In 1918, the Spanish Flu (Designated H1n1) killed 50 Million People world wide and 10 million in the US Alone.. The Last Pandemic was in the Late 70's when the Hong Kong Flu hit and killed world wide roughly 1 million people. (now 1 Million doesn't seem like a Lot but the Hong Kong Flu was another Variant of another strain of Hispanic Flu

and believe me, I've taken Flu shots, and I've had no real problems (The only time I got Flu was when I took shots and I induced it and later got it.

so in a Way We'll have to trudge through another season of Influenza but every year the strains of Flu keep changing.. and that's why those Flu shots are important..

Maybe this year we should have a "Flu Talk Back" thread.. Just a thought.

:coyote:

[sun]

The only thing really you can do to 'prevent' west nile is to use repelant when you go outside...but even then that's not a 100% full-proof prevention method. All states do testing on birds and trapped Mosquitos to better predict how at-risk the residents within the state (and general area) are, but really other than that there isn't much else you can do to prevent it.

Aside from what's on the news when the summer pops up and West Nile is a huge deal (atleast in RI its a big deal...despite the fact that we rarely have any cases) I really don't know too much about the disease, but I'm pretty sure that you can live through it if caught early enough.
Unfortunately this is not true. Many with weakened immune systems cannot live through it. They die, or become very sick, and take months to recover. Often they do not recover completely and have severe nerve damage.
..So prevention is very easy..and almost foolproof for those at risk..
..l. Do not go out without long sleeves and long pants, (thick preferable) for more than a few minutes, 2 hours before and after sunrise and sunset..
.2. If you do go out for more than that, with those clothes on, use repellent..on cloths and exposed skin. (preferably one with deet) use some, but not a lot, over all areas.
.3. They usually do not bite in bright sunlight, or very strong wind..
4. Where a hat, and spray the deet on the hat..
5. Be especially carefull. during hot, dry periods, temp over 80, June, July, and August,early Sept..,.low wind. dawn and dusk..
6. Yes, prevention is the key, if you are at risk,(ot know someone at risk) it does work. The 20 percent that cause this disease, are genetically programed to bite at these times, mentioned in #1..because their usual prey, birds and animals, are eating at this time..they are most active then.
7..They are almost invisible..While it they may not appear to be around..
....you really cannot see them very well. Do not be so sure they are not there.
8..The season officially ends with two consequitive days, of hard freeze
9. They very rarely bite (almost never) with temps under 50 degrees, You are much safer then..Places with temps at night under 50, if you look at the map, are usually safer.. Well, that is all with this one for me.
.

[Discloner]

Unfortunately this is not true. Many with weakened immune systems cannot live through it. They die, or become very sick, and take months to recover. Often they do not recover completely and have severe nerve damage. I said it was possible to live through it, not that everyone could. However, this can be said about nearly any sickness...not just West Nile; people die of Strep, Pneumonia, etc etc. As this (http://ohioline.osu.edu/wnv-fact/1003.html)site states:

"While many people will not know that they have been exposed, nearly all of those with symptoms will fully recover. However, in some severe cases, hospitalization may be needed. There is no vaccine for WNV. There are no antibiotics or antiviral medications that can be used in the treatment of WNV. All care is supportive."

And as this (http://www.westnilevirusfacts.org/wnvfacts.html) site states:

"What are the chances of dying from West Nile Virus? Very low. Even in areas that have had confirmed cases of West Nile Virus in animals and birds, there are few insects among the mosquito population that are carriers of the virus. Among those people who are unfortunate enough to get bitten by an infected mosquito, less than 1 percent will develop a serious illness. Many people get infected and have no symptoms whatsoever. Of those who do get sick from the virus, less than 15 percent die. Most deaths have been among elderly victims who contracted the virus."

This disease is not an epidemic; if you look at the number of people who have gotten it on the map you provided, then take into consideration how many people live in each state, you'll realize the chances of you getting West Nile are rather small. CDC's website even has a statistical break-down of cases based on severity and fatalities. Out of a total 1,634 cases this year, only 52 have resulted in deaths, and last year of 3000 infected cases 119 people died. Set this against the nearly 300 million people that live in the US; and really it's a tiny fraction of people even getting infected.

I'm not saying its not something to be concerned about. Clearly if you're going to be outside and you suspect there will be lots of Mosquitoes around, you should wear insect repellent. But that's just like wearing sun screen if you're going to be in the sun for a long period of time (and even then I have to wonder if you chances of getting skin cancer are higher then getting West Nile). Common sense should be used when doing anything...but I personally don't think anyone should actively fear getting West Nile whenever they step outdoors...

[Czar Gato]

Aside from the elderly or those with compromised immune systems, probably the only people who need to be concerned about WNV are poultry and livestock owners, since birds and hooved beasties (horses and cattle especially) seem much more suceptible to developing serious complications after contracting the disease than a healthy adult would.

[sun]

Since the year 2002. over 21,000 people have been reported with this disease. Over 1000 have died, no one knows how many of the reported individuals have become paralyzed..or to what extent..Those numbers are just not available...
..Those reports account for those who were serious enough to need testing. Or, someone connected the dots, and tested a sick person at a hospital..
..Approximately 10 percent were people under the age of 30.
..These are reported cases only.
Obviously those are people who were seriously ill, and someone determined that a test was in order.
..What is not so obvious, are those who were seriously ill, and not tested.
...No one know the number of not tested who become very sick or died fom West Nile Virus.

..While these numbers if taken as a whole of the U.S, are not huge, the pain and suffering of those afflicted is very serious..And this is preventable. Futhere, the national press coverage on those sick from the spinach thing is huge compared to this..and the spinach thing will go away...It seems that this will not.
..I urge everyone to take prevention if they can. Especially if your area is one with a large number of cases..That seems to partially change from year to year. Why? No one knows. No one seems to want to know.
...But some areas continue to have larger numbers year after year, far more than others (South Dakota for example) ..Why, again no one knows completely. ( some things are easy to know, such as in Maine, the temps at night in the summer, get below 50, that seems to stop all mosquitos) .. Each of us can decide if this is worth any effort at all. That is fine. That is up to each individual. But one thing is for sure, I guarantee you would not want a relative or friend to get this..
.

[Discloner]

..What is not so obvious, are those who were seriously ill, and not tested.
...No one know the number of not tested who become very sick or died fom West Nile Virus..When I was perusing sites to gather sources for my prior post, it seemed to me like a majority (if not all) of the sites were suggesting that the untested population was untested simply because they didn't know they were infected (and never became ill because of it). Not because they they fell ill and nobody thought to find out why. That being said, of course there are exceptions. Some people can't afford to go to the hospital, and don't get tested; and situations such as these.

[sun]

When I was perusing sites to gather sources for my prior post, it seemed to me like a majority (if not all) of the sites were suggesting that the untested population was untested simply because they didn't know they were infected (and never became ill because of it). Not because they they fell ill and nobody thought to find out why. That being said, of course there are exceptions. Some people can't afford to go to the hospital, and don't get tested; and situations such as these.
.I am in no way being critical, please excuse me if I sound that way. But, I am not sure that even all hospitals have the curiosity, time or money to test for this, especially, if it has not been there before. If they are not looking for something, they are not going to find it. They will find it, when they start to discover that there is something new going onl
..As I said in an earlier post..It took 3 or 4 years, from the first aids case, till they finely defined it as a new, sexually transmitted disease.

Going a step further, maybe if a case were to show up in Maine today.. If a small hospital were to have a patient where the symptoms are similiar to some other kind of nueroskelital diseasee, perhaps the doc on call in the emergancy room would call it disease so and so, because they are not even looking out for this particular virus in Maine..Why? there have been almost no cases there for the last 5 years (maybe one or two)...
...Doctors make mistakes in diagnosing disease all the time. You know, it is just sad to me that there is this kind of needless suffering..I understand that most people here are not concerned..That is ok. But something that is preventable, should somehow be prevented..Sorry for taking up so much time on this..Now, I will leave it alone..
.....Thanks for reading all of this......................................Stuart

[Discloner]

You know, it is just sad to me that there is this kind of needless suffering..I understand that most people here are not concerned..That is ok. But something that is preventable, should somehow be prevented..Sorry for taking up so much time on this..Now, I will leave it alone..No no no. My intention was not to debate it's importance with you, or make it seem like you were overreacting, I was merely just trying to get all the facts out on the table. I know prior to this thread's creation I was slightly famillar with West Nile, how common it was, and how deadly it was...but I was able to research it a little more thanks to this discussion. Coming in knowing nothing, it sounded like an epidemic type senerio in your description of it; I was just making sure passers by whom were in the same stance as me knew more about it then to just be careful (as to how deadly it is, how many people have died from it, etc).

I was just trying to balance out the fear is all. ;)

Obviously the pain and suffering of anyone is a sad thing; and clearly I'm all for the preaching of preventive action against West Nile. I just personally don't think its something people should actively fear. Be aware of, yes...but not fear.

[Dr.Pepper]

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/images/WNV_912_06_a.jpg (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/Mapsactivity/surv&control06Maps_PrinterFriendly.htm)
All right! No one in my state