Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Bug Bytes
September 11, 2002
Vol. 3: No. 11
Topics in this Issue:
1. West Nile Update - Eight Human Cases
2. LaCrosse Encephalitis Update
3. National Food Safety Education Month
4. Emerging Infections Conference
1. West Nile Update - Eight Human Cases
Since the last Bug Bytes issue, we have had 8 reported probable
human cases of West Nile Virus (WNV). These include 4 hospitalized
case-patients: a 35 year-old Hennepin County male with symptom
onset 8/17, a 29 year-old Carver County male with symptom
onset 8/23 including aseptic meningitis, a 73 year-old Polk
County female with symptom onset 8/25 including mild encephalitis,
a 43 year-old Morrison County female with symptom onset 8/28
including aseptic meningitis; and 4 patients not hospitalized
including a 48 year-old Roseau County female with symptom
onset 8/7, a 55 year-old Hennepin County male with symptom
onset 8/15, a 72 year-old Rock County female with symptom
onset 8/22, and a 32 year-old Anoka County male with symptom
onset 8/25. Symptoms have included fever, headache, and chills.
All case-patients have recovered or are recovering.
To date, WNV has been confirmed in 264 birds from 60 counties
and 356 horses from 69 counties representing every region
of Minnesota. We have stopped testing birds from counties
that have had positive birds. Our website (at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/
idepc/diseases/westnile/) contains information on WNV
including updated maps displaying county location of positive
birds, horses, and humans.
The risk of WNV is dropping rapidly as cooler weather is arriving and mosquito activity is dropping. Additional horse and human cases may be reported as specimen testing is completed.
2. LaCrosse Encephalitis Update
To date, this summer, we have recorded 8 cases of LaCrosse
encephalitis. These cases include children ages 3, 4, 5, 6,
9, 11, 11, and 13 from Hennepin (2 cases), Dodge, Goodhue,
Wabasha, Le Sueur, Dakota, and Scott counties. Symptom onsets
ranged from 7/20 to 8/31, and all of the children were hospitalized.
3. National Food Safety
Education Month
September is National Food Safety Education month. So cook,
clean, chill, and separate, and check it out at http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/nfsem.htm.
4. Emerging Infections Conference
Once again we are co-sponsoring the "8th Annual Emerging
Infections in Clinical Practice and Emerging Health Threats
Conference". The conference will be on Friday November
15 in Minneapolis. We will have some great speakers including
Dr. Philip Tarr, University of Washington School of Medicine,
speaking on the medical management of diarrhea and E. coli
O157:H7; Dr. Cynthia Whitney, CDC, on treatment and prevention
of pneumococcal disease; Dr. Scott Fridkin, CDC, on the emergence
of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus, Dr. Marci Layton,
New York City Assistant Commissioner of Health speaking on
the medical and public health response to terrorism; Dr. Ruth
Lynfield, MDH, and Dr. David Williams, Hennepin County Medical
Center, on local efforts to promote judicious antibiotic use;
Dr. Michael Osterholm, University of Minnesota, on the national
perspective of bioterrorism; and a local panel of experts
discussing emergency preparedness response. Registration is
available now through University of Minnesota Continuing Medical
Education. Call 612 626-7600 or 1-800-776-8636 or access the
conference brochure and registrations materials at http://www.med.umn.edu/cme/brochures2002/
emerginginf2002/emergiginf2002.html.
Bug Bytes is a combined effort of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division and the Public Health Laboratory Division of MDH. We provide Bug Bytes as a way to say THANK YOU to the infection control professionals, laboratorians, local public health professionals, and health care providers who assist us.
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