Idaho: Boy who died from bug bite laid to rest

[hawkeye]

Boy who died from bug bite laid to rest

BOISE -- A 12-year-old boy was laid to rest today, the apparent victim of a fatal bug bite.
Rocco Magliozzi tested positive for West Nile virus after exhibiting flu-like symptoms last week.

The Massachusetts?s boy was enrolled in a four-week summer camp in Gooding, Idaho when he fell ill.

While lab results have been somewhat inconclusive, it's believed he died of West Nile virus and/or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

His parents says the camp is not to blame.

"We sent him to a great camp, and who could have predicted that he would have gotten bit. They tried to care for him and they did an outstanding job, and then he passed,? said Teresa, Magliozzi, Rocco?s mother.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is still awaiting more test results in hopes of determining an official cause of death.

If it's attributed to West Nile virus, it would be the first such fatality in Idaho state history

[hawkeye]

Re: Idaho: Boy who died from bug bite laid to rest

Idaho: Camp not at fault in boy’s death
By Brian Falla/ Daily News Staff
Thursday, August 3, 2006 - Updated: 02:50 AM EST

NORWOOD -- Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare confirmed yesterday that the camp where 12-year-old Norwood resident Rocco Magliozzi fell ill last week and later died is not considered at fault for his death.
The School for Wilderness and Urban Survival youth camp in Gooding, Idaho, appears to have done everything correctly last week when Magliozzi became ill, Ross Mason, Idaho Health Department public information officer said yesterday.
The youth died at a Boise hospital and has since tested positive for West Nile virus, but officials are stopping short of saying the mosquito-borne disease caused his death.


"We have looked into the situation, because (the camp) is under our jurisdiction, and they seem to have done everything correctly," said Mason. "They got him medical attention quickly and really seemed to dot all their I’s and cross all their T’s."
Mason said the camp has remained open this week.
"They are taking extra steps to make sure everybody is carrying their DEET (insect repellent) and wearing long sleeves and all that," said Mason. "They are doing all the things they should be doing."
The camp is located on more than 200 acres at an elevation of 4,000 feet in the Bennett Hills of south central Idaho, approximately two hours southeast of Boise.
According to SUWS’ Web site, the camp is for students with a wide range of behavioral and/or developmental issues and includes a challenge course, training facilities, and two commissaries.
The camp supplies prospective parents with a slew of safety information, claiming campers are split into groups in the field that remain in contact with base personnel via radio 24 hours a day and have access to shelters located throughout the desert.
The camp also has two field instructors and one field supervisor with no more than seven students in a group; experienced search-and-rescue teams that include emergency medical technicians; 24-hour access to physicians and a registered nurse, and available LifeFlight emergency services.
"It’s a good, professional operation," said Mason.
Camp Executive Director Kathy Rex said she could not comment on the incident and only released a statement Tuesday saying: "We are deeply saddened that a student in our program was hospitalized after exhibiting flu-like symptoms and subsequently died."
Meanwhile, Mason said it was still unclear whether Magliozzi had Rocky Mountain spotted fever in addition to West Nile virus when he died.
Tuesday, tests confirmed that Magliozzi had contracted West Nile virus, but Mason said it’s unlikely he died from the disease, which is why it is also testing for Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
But Mason said he doesn’t expect the Rocky Mountain spotted fever tests to be back for several days and possibly several weeks.
"It’s important to remember that this test will not determine the cause of death," said Mason.
If confirmed, Magliozzi’s death would be Idaho’s first fatal case of West Nile virus.

[hawkeye]

Re: Idaho: Boy who died from bug bite laid to rest

Gooding is just down the road from Boise.

West Nile kills endangered condor chicks
Friday, July 28, 2006; Posted: 1:01 a.m. EDT (05:01 GMT)

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Efforts to save the critically endangered California condor suffered a minor setback last week when four 3-month-old chicks died of the West Nile virus, biologists said.

Their demise leaves just eight condor hatchlings at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, where biologists have been breeding the federally protected scavengers since 1994.

These are the first condors to die from the mosquito-borne virus at the center.

Bill Heinrich, the center's species restoration manager, said the deaths aren't a devastating blow to his $1.3 million annual condor breeding program. But they mean the facility in 2006 will provide fewer than half the 20 birds it took last year for release into the wild.

Condors, which have nearly 10-foot (3-meter) wingspans, have been listed as endangered since 1967. They once ranged from Mexico to Canada, but by 1987, there were just 22 documented birds. The population was depleted by shooting, lead and pesticide poisoning, and egg collecting.

Today, California condors still number just 299, with 159 in captivity and 140 in the wild in Arizona, California and Mexico, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Most Boise-produced condors are sent to northern Arizona for release.

[Shannon Bennett]

Re: Idaho: Boy who died from bug bite laid to rest

Gooding Idaho, no more than a day long bike ride from where I spent every summer of my childhood on my families ranch. And, where family members still reside. I'm not comfortable with this. One of my children lives in Idaho.