FROM THE EL PASO COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTIn El Paso County, your Health Department focuses efforts on protecting our community from a variety of threats, including what we call zoonotic diseases-that is, the diseases that can spread from animals to humans and cause serious illness or death.Many of these zoonotic diseases are more prevalent in the summer and fall months, partly because people are more involved in outdoor activities and more apt to come into contact with animals and/or insects. In addition to plague, which we talked about last month, let me update you on our efforts to protect our community from a few other diseases:West Nile virusAs you may know, West Nile virus is now what we call endemic, in other words, it’s a fact of life during the summer months in El Paso County. While we do not expect the number of human cases to reach the levels we experienced in 2003, our staff has been reporting very large numbers of mosquitoes in our twice-weekly traps, and El Paso County has recorded three human cases already this year. Statewide, 202 human cases had been recorded as of Aug. 29, and more are likely yet this season. We and other public health experts believe that the increase in rainfall we’ve received this summer have provided more breeding opportunities for mosquitoes.Our role at the Health Department is to perform control measures such as treating mosquito breeding sites with “larvacide,” which is a targeted method that kills only the larvae of mosquitoes. The Health Department also provides education to community residents about ways they can protect themselves from being bitten by mosquitoes. The risk of infection remains through the next several weeks, especially if September is warm. So be sure to protect yourself and your family from being bitten by mosquitoes. (See the 4 Ds below.)HantavirusColorado has reported six human cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome this year, four of which were fatal. While El Paso County hasn’t reported any human cases-the closest was in rural Park County-we did have our first human case last year, which resulted in the death of a county resident.Hantavirus causes a serious, potentially life-threatening respiratory infection. The reason it is often associated with warm weather months is the way in which people contract it: often by cleaning or sweeping out barns, cabins or RVs that contain the urine and feces of infected rodents. Like many other zoonotic diseases, hantavirus is a part of life in our county, and the risk always is present. But again, abundant rainfall this year appears to have fostered large rodent populations, so the risk could be greater.The best way to protect yourself from hantavirus is to take precautions when cleaning out areas that may contain rodent waste. Avoid kicking up dust into the air by wetting the area down with a solution of nine parts water to one part bleach. And wear a mask when doing this kind of work. We have more information on our Web site, of course, and you can call the Health Department with questions.TularemiaOften called “rabbit fever,” tularemia is a bacterial infection that people get when bitten by infected ticks and deerflies or by handling sick or infected animals. Hunters who skin rabbits are particularly at risk, for example. Tularemia isn’t common in the United States-about 200 cases are recorded each year-but tularemia is present in animal populations at low levels at any given time.Interestingly, according to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment, tularemia used to be reported mostly in the fall, when hunters skinned rabbits, but it is reported more in the summer months now, as a result of insect bites. While Colorado reported two human cases of tularemia in 2006, none have been reported so far in 2007. However, we have had a dead rabbit test positive here in El Paso County.Best prevention measures are to wear insect repellent containing DEET (as with West Nile virus), to check for and remove ticks when camping or hiking in wooded areas and to wear water-resistant gloves, eyewear and masks when skinning animals, especially rabbits.In the months ahead, we’ll be briefing you about seasonal influenza or “the flu,” as well as measures you can take to protect yourself and your family from contagious diseases.In the meantime, visit www.elpasocountyhealth.org or call us as (719) 578-3199.Remember the 4 DsYou still need to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites* Drain any standing water on your property.* Dress to protect yourself from mosquito bites.* Dawn and dusk are times to limit outside activity.* DEET should be an ingredient in the insect repellant you use.
