Diseases/Syndromes

Minimum Infection Rate: West Nile Virus

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West Nile virus activity has been increasing, and it has now been detected in mosquitoes in 14 counties as of noon on 7/9/18.  Of the 4,832 pooled mosquito samples (141,835 mosquitoes total) tested so far, 110 samples have tested positive from Athens (1), Delaware (1), Franklin (43), Hamilton (1), Hancock (1), Licking (4), Lucas (25), Portage (12), Richland (3), Ross (1), Stark (1), Summit (15), Tuscarawas (1) and Wood (1) counties.  This is up from 26 positive samples reported in the last message.  No human cases have been reported so far.

Here is a graph that shows where we are this year as of week 25 with infection rates in mosquitoes compared to 2012, a high WNV activity year (blue line), and 2016, a relatively low WNV activity year (orange line):

 

For more information, see the current Ohio arbovirus surveillance update at http://www.odh.ohio.gov/arboupdate.  The data on this website was last updated on 7/9/18 and will be updated each Monday thru mosquito season.

Update on Lyme Disease Surveillance 2008-2015

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Courtesy of the CDC  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Nov 10th, 2017

Amy M. Schwartz, MPH1; Alison F. Hinckley, PhD1; Paul S. Mead, MD1; Sarah A. Hook, MA1; Kiersten J. Kugeler, PhD1 (View author affiliations)

Abstract

Problem/Condition: Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vectorborne disease in the United States but is geographically focal. The majority of Lyme disease cases occur in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest regions. Lyme disease can cause varied clinical manifestations, including erythema migrans, arthritis, facial palsy, and carditis. Lyme disease occurs most commonly among children and older adults, with a slight predominance among males.

Reporting Period: 2008–2015.

Click HERE for full article

 

West Nile Update 10/3/17

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West Nile virus and other domestic arboviral activity — United States, 2017
Provisional data reported to ArboNET
Tuesday, October 3, 2017

 

West Nile virus (WNV) activity in 2017
As of October 3rd, 1,015 counties from 47 states and the District of Columbia have reported
WNV activity to ArboNET for 2017, including 45 states and the District of Columbia with
reported WNV human infections (i.e., disease cases or viremic blood donors) and two additional
states with reported WNV activity in non-human species only (i.e., veterinary cases, mosquito
pools, dead birds, or sentinel animals)

Click to read full article –> 2017-10-03 Arboviral activity update-1nll3ev

Courtesy of Arbonet

Ohio Arbovirus Report for September 1st 2017

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Click for printable PDF of report –>  Summary table – 9 1 17-pc8ucs

 

West Nile virus and other domestic arboviral activity — United States, 2017
Provisional data reported to ArboNET
Tuesday, August 29, 2017

This update from the CDC Arboviral Disease Branch includes provisional data reported to ArboNET for January 1 – August 29, 2017 for West Nile virus and selected other nationally notifiable domestic arboviruses. Additional resources for ArboNET and arboviral diseases are provided on page 9.
West Nile virus (WNV) activity in 2017
As of August 29th, 740 counties from 45 states and the District of Columbia have reported WNV activity to ArboNET for 2017, including 35 states with reported WNV human infections (i.e., disease cases or viremic blood donors) and 10 additional states and the District of Columbia with reported WNV activity in non-human species only (i.e., veterinary cases, mosquito pools, dead birds, or sentinel animals)

Click HERE for full West Nile Virus Report –> 2017-08-29 Arboviral activity update-xa8qnu

 

All reports courtesy of the Ohio Department of Health

Zika Virus May be Useful in Treating Brain Tumors

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Source: US National Library of Medicine 9/7/2017

 

Thu, 07 Sep 2017 05:33:00 EST

 

“Zika virus used to treat aggressive brain cancer,” BBC News reports. Animal and laboratory research suggests a modified version of the virus could possibly be used to target and destroy cancerous cells.

The Zika virus was first discovered in 1947. It hit the headlines in 2016 when an epidemic of the virus began quickly spreading through parts of South and Central America.

The virus, spread by mosquitoes, rarely causes serious problems in adults. But it can lead to birth defects, specifically microcephaly (a small, not fully developed head), if a woman contracts the virus when pregnant.

The virus has the ability to cross from the blood into the brain, so researchers wanted to see if it could be used to treat a very aggressive type of brain cancer called glioblastoma.

Click HERE to read full article

 

Herd Immunity Slowing Zika Spread Outside US?

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From AP/US News and World Report August 12th 2017

MIAMI (AP) — The waning of Zika outbreaks in the Caribbean and South America has helped slow the spread of the mosquito-borne virus in Florida this year, according to health officials.

Herd immunity, when enough people in an area are infected with a virus and develop resistance to it, likely has contributed to Zika’s decline outside the continental United States, Dr. Henry Walke, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s incident manager for Zika response, said in a Miami Herald report .

“People that were infected before can’t be infected again. That’s our understanding,” Walke said. “So you don’t have as much of the virus circulating. That’s true not only in Puerto Rico but throughout the Caribbean and throughout South America.”

CLICK HERE to Read Full article

New Testing Protocols for Lyme Disease in Humans Being Tested

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From Associated Press/CBS News August 17th, 2017

WASHINGTON — Diagnosing if a tick bite caused Lyme or another disease can be difficult but scientists are developing a new way to do it early — using a “signature” of molecules in patients’ blood.

It’s still highly experimental, but initial studies suggest the novel tool just might uncover early-stage Lyme disease more accurately than today’s standard test, researchers reported Wednesday. And it could tell the difference between two tick-borne diseases with nearly identical early symptoms.

“Think about it as looking at a fingerprint,” said microbiology professor John Belisle of Colorado State University, who helped lead the research.

Lyme disease is estimated to infect 300,000 people in the U.S. every year. Lyme-causing bacteria are spread by blacklegged ticks —also called deer ticks — primarily in the Northeast and Midwest, although their range is spreading. Lyme typically starts as a fever, fatigue and flu-like symptoms — often but not always with a hallmark bulls-eye rash — and people usually recover quickly with prompt antibiotics. But untreated, Lyme causes more serious complications, including swollen joints and arthritis, memory and concentration problems, even irregular heartbeat.

 

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