|
West Nile afflicts 2 more Floridians
©Associated Press
September 14, 2002
TALLAHASSEE -- Two more Floridians are believed to have contracted the potentially fatal West Nile virus, bringing to eight the number of human cases this year in the state.
The Department of Health said Friday that a 28-year-old Escambia County resident and an 83-year-old in Sarasota County have West Nile, a mosquito-borne virus that can cause fatal encephalitis.
So far, none of the eight people who have contracted the disease this year in Florida has died.
Officials didn't identify the new victims or say whether they were hospitalized.
State epidemiologist Steven Wiersma said they are believed to have contracted West Nile by being bitten by mosquitoes.
Until recently, health officials thought that was nearly always how the disease was transmitted. But some recent cases appear to have been transmitted by organ transplants, and federal health officials have new evidence that it may also be transmitted through blood transfusions.
Wiersma said new patients were now being checked for medical history, such as whether they've had a transfusion recently.
Health Secretary John Agwunobi again reminded Floridians to guard against mosquito bites, mainly by wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts at dawn and dusk and to use mosquito repellent.
State health officials say the distribution of cases -- from Pensacola to Sarasota and in Central Florida in between -- indicates the disease has likely traveled all over the state.
Nationally, more than 1,250 people have come down with West Nile virus this year, with most of the cases in Louisiana, Mississippi and Illinois. More than 50 people across the country have died from the disease.
Back to State news
© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111
 |
