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July 7, 2003
HONOLULU – This year’s first confirmed human case of
West Nile Virus (WNV), reported in South Carolina today, has heightened
the resolve of Hawaii State Department of Health officials to try and
keep Hawaii free from the disease.
To date there are no cases of WNV in Hawaii. Many federal, state and
local agencies, including the Department of Health, are working to
prevent the disease from spreading to the islands. The public is
encouraged to eliminate standing water from their property to get rid
of places mosquito can breed. Hawaii residents are also being asked to
assist in continued surveillance of bird populations. Anyone finding a
freshly dead bird should collect the bird in a plastic bag and deliver
it to the nearest Humane Society or other designated collection site www.state.hi.us/doh/wnv/dbsites.html.
"West Nile Virus caused nearly 300 deaths across the country last
year. Hawaii is fortunate to have geographical barriers, but we are not
invulnerable," said Paul Kitsutani, M.D., Disease Outbreak Control
Division, Hawaii State Department of Health. "To prevent WNV from
spreading to our state or spreading within the state, the public needs
to clean-out mosquito breeding areas and continue monitoring the bird
populations."
West Nile Virus is a disease that is usually passed between
mosquitoes and birds, but it can also affect humans, horses, and other
vertebrates. Most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito will
show no symptoms. The majority of those that do display symptoms will
have West Nile fever, a mild disease characterized by flu-like
symptoms, which typically lasts a few days. On rare occasions, WNV
infection can result in severe and sometimes fatal illness known as
West Nile encephalitis. Encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain
and/or the membrane around the brain. Symptoms include headache, high
fever, stiff neck, stupor, tumors, coma, convulsions and paralysis.
Until the summer of 1999, when it was found in New York City, WNV
had not been detected in the Western Hemisphere. Since then, it has
affected humans, birds, horses, and other vertebrates in most of the
mainland United States, as well as Canada and Mexico. Last year 40
states (including Washington D.C.) reported more than 4,000 human cases
of WNV, resulting in 284 deaths.
For more information visit the Department of Health web site at www.state.hi.us/doh/wnv or
consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) site at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
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For more information, contact:
Janice Okubo
Communications Director
Phone: (808) 586-4442
E-mail: jsokubo@health.state.hi.us
Laura M. Lott
Information Specialist
Phone: (808) 586-4418
E-mail: lmlott@health.state.hi.us
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