KDHE Home - News 2002 - News Release
Kansas
Department of Health & Environment
Bill Graves, Governor
Clyde D. Graeber, Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 3, 2002
Contact: Sharon Watson, 785-296-5795
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has confirmed the presence of West Nile Virus in 97 counties. Ten new counties are included in this update: Chase, Hamilton, Haskell, Linn, Miami, Neosho, Rawlins, Rooks, Trego, and Wilson. To date, 138 birds and 462 horses and mules have tested positive for West Nile Virus in Kansas.
Kansas is one of 12 states that still has no confirmed human cases. However, a Colorado man who works in Kansas has tested positive for WNV encephalitis, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Centers for Disease Control. The victim is from Prowers County, Colorado, which borders Hamilton County, Kansas. The man spends much of his time in Hamilton County for work and recreation, and may have been infected in Kansas. He has been released from a Colorado hospital and is recovering, according to Colorado health officials.
The laboratory testing for West Nile Virus in Kansas animals and insects is being done at Kansas State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Testing of human specimens is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). West Nile Virus originates from Africa, Asia and Europe. It was first found in the United States in late summer 1999 in New York City. Since then, West Nile Virus has spread down the eastern seaboard and westward. Evidence of the virus has been found in 42 states.
The disease is transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected bird and then bites another animal or a human. Infected birds carry this disease for a short time, but mosquitos provide the only known method of transmission to animals or humans. People cannot get the disease from horses or from the birds carrying the virus, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is studying whether transmission of West Nile Virus can occur through blood transfusions or organ transplants. For people who need an organ transplant or blood transfusion, the benefits far outweigh any risks and donating blood is safe.
In humans, West Nile Virus usually causes mild symptoms but does not generally require medical treatment. Symptoms are flu-like, such as headache, swollen glands, and muscle aches, as well as a rash. In rare cases, the disease may require hospitalization, and death can occur in very severe cases. Human testing for the disease is generally recommended only for hospitalized patients with severe symptoms, and medical treatment does not change for those who test positive. People more than 50 years old are most susceptible to serious illness as the result of West Nile Virus.
In monitoring for West Nile Virus, KDHE works with KSU, KU, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the Kansas Department of Animal Health, the USDA, zoos, physicians and veterinarians. Kansas will continue ongoing monitoring and surveillance, and will provide Kansas citizens with public health information.
Information on West Nile Virus and Kansas activities can be found at: http://www.entomology.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=711. The University of Kansas Natural History Museum recently posted a Web page people can access to report dead bird sightings to the Kansas West Nile Virus Surveillance Program. The Web address is http://nhm.ku.edu/birds.
Mosquito control and protection is the best defense against West Nile Virus. KDHE recommends avoiding mosquito contact by wearing long sleeves and pants and using an insect repellent containing DEET. Outdoor activities at dawn and dusk, when mosquitos are most active, should be avoided. People should check for standing water around their homes and empty anything holding water such as tires, buckets, plant saucers or discarded containers to minimize mosquito egg laying habitat. Gutters and down spouts should also be cleaned to prevent a breeding ground for mosquitos.
Counties with confirmed West Nile Virus in Horses:
Anderson, Atchison,Barber, Barton, Brown, Butler, Chase, Cherokee, Cheyenne,
Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Decatur, Dickinson, Doniphan,
Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Gove, Graham, Grant,
Gray, Greenwood, Greeley, Hamilton, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson,
Jewell, Johnson, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Lane, Leavenworth, Lincoln,
Linn, Logan, Lyon, Marion, McPherson, Meade, Miami, Mitchell, Morris, Morton,
Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Osage, Osborn, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottowatomie,
Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Russell, Rush, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick,
Seward, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stevens, Sumner, Thomas, Wabaunsee, Wallace,
Washington, Wichita, Wilson, and Wyandotte.
Counties with confirmed West Nile Virus in Mules:
Montgomery, Sedgwick Counties, and Jefferson.
Counties with confirmed West Nile Virus in a Mosquito Pool: Barton County.
Counties with confirmed West Nile Virus in Birds:
Barton, Bourbon, Comanche, Douglas, Finney, Geary, Harvey, Jewell, Johnson,
Labette, Lincoln, Lyon, McPherson, Montgomery, Nemaha, Osborne, Pottawattomie,
Republic, Reno, Riley, Rooks, Russell, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Stafford, Trego, Wilson,
and Wyandotte.
Summary of all Kansas Counties where West Nile Virus has been found:
Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Cherokee,
Cheyenne, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Decatur, Dickinson,
Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary,
Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Haskell, Harvey, Hodgeman,
Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearney, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Lane,
Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Logan, Lyon, Marion, McPherson, Meade, Miami, Mitchell,
Montgomery, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Osage, Osborn, Ottawa,
Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley,
Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee, Sherman, Smith,
Stafford, Stevens, Sumner, Thomas, Trego, Waubaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita,
Wilson, and Wyandotte.