The Bureau of Epidemiology is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for consultation at our main number (SunCom 205-4401 or 850/245-4401) PLEASE NOTE: Consultation after 5 p.m. & on weekends is intended for emergencies.

Steven T. Wiersma, MD, MPH—Acting Bureau Chief and State Epidemiologist

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."

The Department of Health urges all Floridians to take precautions against mosquito bites. DOH is recommending the following:

1. 57 total dead birds were found to have West Nile (WN) virus in North Florida, along with 43 horses and 4 chickens.

Alachua-1 mockingbird; 1 crow

Bay-1 chicken

Clay-1 horse, 1 green heron

Duval – one sentinel chicken, 1 horse

Franklin-1 crow, 1 blue jay

Hamilton-2 crows, 1 unknown

Holmes- 2 crows, 1 blue jay

Jefferson -- 9 crows, 2 blue jay, 1 mockingbird, 1 unknown and 19 horses

Leon – 1 hawk, 3 crows, 1 finch, 1 mockingbird, 3 unknown birds, 1 blue jay, 2 sentinel chickens, 4 horses

Madison – 5 crows, 2 blue jays, 1 unknown, 6 horses

Nassau, 1 horse, 1 crow

Okaloosa -- 1 blue jay

Pasco 1 unknown

Suwannee-1 blue jay, 2 horses

Taylor – 2 crows, 1 blue jay, 1 unknown bird, 9 horses

Wakulla-5 crows

Washington – 2 crows

 

Bay: finch(es), 1 horse

Calhoun: emu(s)

Duval: 1 blue jay

Franklin: 1 pigeon

Jackson: 2 horses

Jefferson: 1 horse

Holmes: 6 horses

Leon: 1 dove, 1 "blue bird"

Madison: 1 horse

Nassau: quail, 1 horse

Okeechobee, 1 horse

Orange: 1 horse, 1 bird

Putnam, 1 horse

Santa Rosa, 2 horses

Seminole, 1 horse

Walton: 2 horses

Washington: 1 horse

 

Human Surveillance

To date, 1006 mosquito pools containing more than 13,700 mosquitoes of 29 species, have been processed for WN virus testing. Most collections have been done in Jefferson County (714 pools), but collections from Bay (263 pools), Madison (26 pools) and Pinellas (3 pools) County are also undergoing testing. Fourteen WN virus isolates (Culex salinarius (3), Cx quinquefasciatus (5) and Cx nigripalpus (2), Cx. sp. (1), Culiseta melanura (1)) and one EEE virus isolate (from Ochlerotatus atlanticus/ tormentor) have been recovered, all from collections in Jefferson County.

Starting Tuesday after Labor Day, the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory in Kissimmee will no longer be performing necropsies of dead birds sent for WN virus testing. The necropsies will be done in the DOH Bureau of Laboratories Tampa branch laboratory, in the same facility where the virus testing takes place. Birds for WN virus testing mailed on or after September 3, should be mailed to the following address:

We also want to remind you to only ship:

Horses and other mammals will still be tested for EEE or WN at the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory and handling protocols for these species are not affected by this change.

Dolly Katz, PhD, MPH, Bureau of Epidemiology

With the identification of human cases of West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus infection in Florida, many Florida residents are calling county health departments for recommendations on how to protect themselves. A number of health departments have already formed task forces to develop response plans. The following information is intended as a guide to health departments in developing appropriate responses.

The protection message

The most important protective measures are the common ones that most Floridians already are familiar with:

A variety of printed materials that explain and expand on the above information are available from the Florida Department of Health and numerous websites. Among them:

A major issue for local health departments is whether to recommend that football games, Halloween, and other organized activities be cancelled. Cancelling these events should rarely, if ever, be necessary. Cancellations are disruptive, increase public anxiety, and do little to reduce the already low risk of exposure (people may ignore the recommendations or go out by themselves anyway). Moreover, the age groups involved in these activities tend not to be the ones at highest risk for severe illness. Emphasis on the personal protective measures listed above is the most effective way to prevent infection with West Nile and other arboviruses.

Spraying

Spraying temporarily reduces the population of adult mosquitoes in the area. Decisions on when and where to spray are made by the local mosquito control districts in consultation with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in consultation with public health officials.

The Bureau of Epidemiology is pleased to announce the Sixth Annual Emergency Preparedness Seminar which will be delivered via satellite broadcast September 19 – 20, 2001. This presentation is sponsored by USDA/APHIS, FEMA, and DOD.

The program will be aired both days from 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM resuming after the break from 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM. This seminar has been submitted to the American Association of Veterinary State Boards to allow six (6) hours of CEU credits for attendance on both days.

Topics will include the following:

If you have any questions or plan to attend this satellite conference, please contact Melanie Black by email [Melanie_Black @doh.state.fl.us] or telephone (850) 245-4444 ext. 2448 (SunCom 205-4444 ext. 2448). If you are interested in registering as a site, further details are available through the USDA website.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/training

Melanie Black, MSW, Professional Training Coordinator, Bureau of Epidemiology

Zuber D. Mulla, MSPH ^1,2; Paul E. Leaverton, PhD ¹, Steven T. Wiersma, MD, MPH ²

While we realize you might not always be able to call in at 11:00 AM, it can be distracting to the speaker and others in the audience when participants dial-in throughout the hour. Please try to call in on time and remember to put your phones on mute so as not to disturb others. Thank you for your cooperation.

Submitted by Melanie Black, MSW, Professional Training Coordinator, Bureau of Epidemiology

This live, interactive teleconference is sponsored by the National Terrorism Preparedness Training (NTPT) department of St. Petersburg College (SPC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP)/Office for State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support (OSLDPS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Combating Terrorism Technology Support Office (CTTSO) – Technical Support Working Group (TSWG).

Target Audiences

The primary target audiences for this program include health care administrators, physicians, nurses, and other public health professionals. Law enforcement, emergency medical services, fire department personnel as well as local, state, federal and military emergency preparedness officials may also benefit from viewing this program.

Description

The Live Response program is an hour-long, live, interactive program in which a panel of experts explores topics related to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) consequence management and engages in question and answer sessions with the program audience through call-ins and message board. In this broadcast, a panel of experts will explore the local, state, and federal perspectives ion issues related to recovery from a WMD.