Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
Rare mosquito-borne virus kills Summit County resident
A northern Summit County resident died this month from an extremely rare viral disease transmitted by mosquitos.
According to the Summit County Health District, the unidentified person contracted LaCrosse encephalitis. The inflammation of the brain can result in seizures, coma, paralysis and, in extreme cases, death.
The last time a Summit County resident was diagnosed with the mosquito-borne illness was in 1998.
Each year, about 80 to 100 cases of LaCrosse encephalitis are reported nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
''Any death is tragic,'' said Dr. Marguerite Erme, the Summit County Health District's medical director. ''But the fact that this was rare gives people a reminder that they still need to do that mosquito prevention.''
West Nile virus, another disease transmitted by mosquitos, hasn't been reported in humans in Summit County since 2002. As a result, Erme said, some people might be more lax about their efforts to prevent mosquito bites.
People still need to take precautions, she said.
- snip -
Public health officials have not determined where the Summit County resident contracted the virus, Erme said. The individual traveled outside of the county before coming ill.
Erme declined to release any information about the individual, other than to say the person was younger than 20 and died in early July.
Severe disease occurs most often in children under 16, according to the CDC.
Many infected people have no apparent symptoms.
The condition is not contagious, according to public health experts. The virus is transmitted only by the bite of an infected mosquito, not from person to person.
''We have no other suspicious cases reported in all of the county,'' Erme said.
http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/98753954.html
CDC page La Crosse Encephalitis
..
A northern Summit County resident died this month from an extremely rare viral disease transmitted by mosquitos.
According to the Summit County Health District, the unidentified person contracted LaCrosse encephalitis. The inflammation of the brain can result in seizures, coma, paralysis and, in extreme cases, death.
The last time a Summit County resident was diagnosed with the mosquito-borne illness was in 1998.
Each year, about 80 to 100 cases of LaCrosse encephalitis are reported nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
''Any death is tragic,'' said Dr. Marguerite Erme, the Summit County Health District's medical director. ''But the fact that this was rare gives people a reminder that they still need to do that mosquito prevention.''
West Nile virus, another disease transmitted by mosquitos, hasn't been reported in humans in Summit County since 2002. As a result, Erme said, some people might be more lax about their efforts to prevent mosquito bites.
People still need to take precautions, she said.
- snip -
Public health officials have not determined where the Summit County resident contracted the virus, Erme said. The individual traveled outside of the county before coming ill.
Erme declined to release any information about the individual, other than to say the person was younger than 20 and died in early July.
Severe disease occurs most often in children under 16, according to the CDC.
Many infected people have no apparent symptoms.
The condition is not contagious, according to public health experts. The virus is transmitted only by the bite of an infected mosquito, not from person to person.
''We have no other suspicious cases reported in all of the county,'' Erme said.
http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/98753954.html
CDC page La Crosse Encephalitis
..