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Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.yakima-herald.com/stories/2009/09/22/sunnyside-woman-may-have-died-from-west-nile-virus
Sunnyside woman may have died from West Nile virus
By ROSS COURTNEY
Yakima Herald-Republic
SUNNYSIDE, Wash. -- A 71-year-old woman who never noticed she had a mosquito bite may be the first person in Washington to die from the West Nile virus.
Health authorities say final results are still pending, but the woman's husband said several doctors told him his wife died of the virus. Ruth Rosalee Rogers of Sunnyside died Saturday at Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center.
Health authorities sound a more cautious note.
"We have not completed (the testing) process," said Marianne Patnode, the Yakima Health District's communicable disease coordinator.
Samples tested at a commercial laboratory and the state's W.R. Giedt Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline so far indicate it could be West Nile virus, Patnode said.
But it's also possible Rogers could have died from St. Louis encephalitis or Western Equine encephalitis, which both cause symptoms similar to West Nile and can yield similar lab results, she said.
For a definitive answer, samples have been sent to a Centers for Disease Control specialty laboratory in Fort Collins, Colo.
Health District officials typically don't discuss individuals by name, Patnode said. But Rogers' obituary was submitted to the Yakima Herald-Republic listing West Nile as the cause.
If CDC tests are positive for West Nile, Rogers would be the first person in Washington to die from the viral infection that attacks the nervous system and is spread by mosquitoes to horses, birds and people. Rogers would be the ninth fatality in the nation, according to the CDC's Web site.
Howard Rogers said he and his wife returned from a trip to Denver on Sept. 1. His wife started running a fever and lacked an appetite the next evening. She visited a family physician, who suggested she get to a hospital.
She was admitted to Yakima Regional on Sept. 4 and never left, Howard Rogers said.
Rogers said his wife had a stroke two years ago, but recovered fully and had been in "remarkable health." She loved tending her wide array of flowers -- 15 hanging baskets, 50 roses bushes, geraniums and flox, he said.
"She was out there watering pretty near every night," Rogers said.
She never wore repellent because mosquitoes never seemed to bother her, he said.
"They come from a mile away to bite me," he said.
She told Howard and her doctors she didn't notice a bite this time, either.
Nearly all the state's confirmed cases of West Nile are in Yakima County or adjacent Benton County.
Eight human cases have been confirmed and 11 cases, including Rogers, are pending further tests. The virus was also detected in a blood donor who showed no symptoms.
Benton County has had five confirmed cases. The state overall has 17. Nationwide, there have been 280 confirmed cases of West Nile human infections so far this year.
Fewer than 1 percent of people infected with the virus actually develop symptoms beyond those that resemble a seasonal flu -- a fever, body aches and headache.
People over 50 years old are most at risk.
Health officials say the West Nile virus will remain a threat until it becomes too cold for mosquitoes. In the meantime, they suggests wearing mosquito repellent, long sleeves and pants, staying indoors at dusk and dawn and removing standing water from properties.
Ruth Rogers was born in Riverton, Wyo., and graduated from Sunnyside High School. She worked for the United Telephone Co. and as a teachers' aide for the Sunnyside School District.
In addition to her husband, she had an adult son.
* Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.
Sunnyside woman may have died from West Nile virus
By ROSS COURTNEY
Yakima Herald-Republic
SUNNYSIDE, Wash. -- A 71-year-old woman who never noticed she had a mosquito bite may be the first person in Washington to die from the West Nile virus.
Health authorities say final results are still pending, but the woman's husband said several doctors told him his wife died of the virus. Ruth Rosalee Rogers of Sunnyside died Saturday at Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center.
Health authorities sound a more cautious note.
"We have not completed (the testing) process," said Marianne Patnode, the Yakima Health District's communicable disease coordinator.
Samples tested at a commercial laboratory and the state's W.R. Giedt Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline so far indicate it could be West Nile virus, Patnode said.
But it's also possible Rogers could have died from St. Louis encephalitis or Western Equine encephalitis, which both cause symptoms similar to West Nile and can yield similar lab results, she said.
For a definitive answer, samples have been sent to a Centers for Disease Control specialty laboratory in Fort Collins, Colo.
Health District officials typically don't discuss individuals by name, Patnode said. But Rogers' obituary was submitted to the Yakima Herald-Republic listing West Nile as the cause.
If CDC tests are positive for West Nile, Rogers would be the first person in Washington to die from the viral infection that attacks the nervous system and is spread by mosquitoes to horses, birds and people. Rogers would be the ninth fatality in the nation, according to the CDC's Web site.
Howard Rogers said he and his wife returned from a trip to Denver on Sept. 1. His wife started running a fever and lacked an appetite the next evening. She visited a family physician, who suggested she get to a hospital.
She was admitted to Yakima Regional on Sept. 4 and never left, Howard Rogers said.
Rogers said his wife had a stroke two years ago, but recovered fully and had been in "remarkable health." She loved tending her wide array of flowers -- 15 hanging baskets, 50 roses bushes, geraniums and flox, he said.
"She was out there watering pretty near every night," Rogers said.
She never wore repellent because mosquitoes never seemed to bother her, he said.
"They come from a mile away to bite me," he said.
She told Howard and her doctors she didn't notice a bite this time, either.
Nearly all the state's confirmed cases of West Nile are in Yakima County or adjacent Benton County.
Eight human cases have been confirmed and 11 cases, including Rogers, are pending further tests. The virus was also detected in a blood donor who showed no symptoms.
Benton County has had five confirmed cases. The state overall has 17. Nationwide, there have been 280 confirmed cases of West Nile human infections so far this year.
Fewer than 1 percent of people infected with the virus actually develop symptoms beyond those that resemble a seasonal flu -- a fever, body aches and headache.
People over 50 years old are most at risk.
Health officials say the West Nile virus will remain a threat until it becomes too cold for mosquitoes. In the meantime, they suggests wearing mosquito repellent, long sleeves and pants, staying indoors at dusk and dawn and removing standing water from properties.
Ruth Rogers was born in Riverton, Wyo., and graduated from Sunnyside High School. She worked for the United Telephone Co. and as a teachers' aide for the Sunnyside School District.
In addition to her husband, she had an adult son.
* Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.