Second Case of West Nile Virus in Kansas
Positive Bird in Shawnee County

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has confirmed a second case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in the state. The latest case involves a bird (blue jay) in Shawnee County. It was collected June 27. Thirty-four birds have been tested since May 20. This is the first positive test in a bird. A pool of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes collected on May 28 in Crawford County has also been confirmed positive for WNV. No human cases of West Nile Virus have been reported this year.

State epidemiologists anticipate this season of WNV to be more severe than the first one, since that has been the trend in other states.

Public health officials recommend the following precautions to minimize contact with mosquitos and exposure to West Nile Virus:

• Use insect repellent containing DEET (according to label directions);
• Limit outdoor activities during dawn/dusk when mosquitos are most active;
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors;
• Eliminate any stagnant pools of water on your property. (Standing, stagnant water is a common habitat for mosquitos).
• Repair screens or other areas of your home where mosquitos might enter.

West Nile Virus is primarily a disease of birds that is transmitted by mosquitos on to other birds, horses and humans. Last year Kansas had 22 human WNV cases with no fatalities, and 794 cases involving horses and mules. More than 300 birds were tested. One hundred three of the 105 Kansas counties reported having WNV in either humans, horses, birds, or mosquitos.

West Nile Virus can cause severe illness, even death in rare cases, most people who become infected will never know they were infected, because the disease usually produces no symptoms or health complications in humans.

Symptoms of West Nile Virus are usually mild and include fever, headache, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash on the trunk of the body and swollen lymph glands. The symptoms of severe infection (West Nile encephalitis or meningitis) include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.

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.

KDHE will closely monitor potential cases of West Nile Virus throughout the summer and report cases in humans as well as birds and mosquitos. Kansas State University, through a contract with KDHE, is again conducting testing on horses and limited testing on mosquitos and birds.

A toll-free hotline has been set up for Kansans to report dead birds at 1-866-452-7810. The Dead Bird Hotline number has changed and an updated number will be provided soon.

Criteria for birds accepted for testing is as follows:

• crow, bluejay, magpie, or bird of prey (hawks, owls, eagles)
• bird should not have been dead longer than 24 hours
• bird should be intact and should be placed in double plastic bag in freezer until submitted

This year testing for West Nile Virus in humans will be conducted at the KDHE laboratory in Topeka. Last year, those tests were conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Fort Collins, Colorado resulting in some delays as the CDC lab performed tests for many states.

By conducting the tests in Topeka Kansans with a possible case of WNV could have the results sooner. For questions about West Nile Virus in humans, call KDHE at 1-877-427-7317. Physicians, hospitals, and local health departments should report any suspicious cases of encephalitis to KDHE.

Additional information on West Nile Virus may be found at http://www.entomology.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=711.

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