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For Release Friday , 24th
August, 2001
CONTACT: April Crowley 1-850-245-4111
Carina Blackmore, DVM, PhD 1-877-631-5445 (toll-free pager)
Steven Wiersma MD, MPH 1-877-210-5031 (toll-free pager)
*** MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUS UPDATE***
Florida’s Fourth Human Case of West Nile Virus Encephalitis Confirmed
Medical Alert Extended To Include Monroe County
TALLAHASSEE— The Florida Department of Health (DOH) announced today that the fourth human encephalitis case caused by the West Nile (WN) virus has been confirmed. The case was reported in a 73-year-old female from Sarasota County. It is believed that the woman contracted the disease while visiting Marathon in the Florida Keys last month. A medical alert is now in effect for Monroe County.
According to acting State Epidemiologist Dr. Steven Wiersma, it is not unexpected that this virus has been found in south Florida.
“Although it might seem unusual that West Nile virus has now been found in the extreme southern part of Florida, this is consistent with migratory bird patterns. We will intensify our surveillance for human and dead bird cases in south Florida and will continue to provide regular updates.”
So far, there have been four confirmed human cases of WN virus encephalitis and two confirmed cases of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in Florida. The medical alert is currently in effect for 34 Florida counties, including: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington counties.
The Department of Health urges
all Floridians to take precautions against mosquito bites. DOH is recommending the following:
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Avoid outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are likely to be looking for blood meals;
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If you must be outdoors when mosquitoes are active, cover up by wearing shoes, socks, long pants and long-sleeved shirts;
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Use mosquito repellant containing DEET according to manufacturers’ directions; and
Eliminate stagnant water in any receptacles in which mosquitoes might breed.
For more information on mosquito-borne encephalitis, including reporting human cases and dead birds, visit the DOH Bureau of Epidemiology’s Arboviral Encephalitis and West Nile Virus website at MyFlorida.com (click on Health and Human Services, then Consumers – Diseases and Conditions, then Arboviral Encephalitis or West Nile Virus) or
http://www.doh.state.fl.us/disease_ctrl/epi/htopics/arbo/index.htm, or call the Bureau’s toll-free hotline at 1-888-880-5782 for recorded information.
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