Wonder if oil(s)/detergent(s) emulsions are effective disinfectants...
(1) HANTAVIRUSE PULM. SYNDROME - USA (COLORADO, NOT TEXAS)
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A ProMED-mail post
[see also:
Hantavirus pulm. synd. - USA (Colorado & Texas?) 2000.2818
Hantavirus pulm. synd. - USA (Colorado ex Arizona?) 2000.0853
Hantavirus pulm. synd. - USA (Utah ex Colorado) 2000.1911
1998
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Hantavirus infection, human - USA (Colorado) 980426091913
Hantavirus infection, human - USA (Colorado) (02) 980628092700]
[1]
Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 04:35:48 PDT
From: M. Cosgriff
Source: Denver Post, 7 Jul 2000
A 49-year-old Grand County woman has become the sixth person in Colorado
stricken by the hantavirus this year, the state's highest number in a
single year since the potentially deadly virus was identified in 1993. The
latest victim is in good condition at the University of Colorado Hospital.
The high number has state health officials thinking about new ways to
prevent people from being exposed to the virus.
"Previously, we were emphasizing safe ways to clean up when you discovered
a mouse nest or infestation," such as using some diluted bleach or
disinfectant, said Dr. Richard Hoffman, state epidemiologist. Sweeping or
vacuuming a mouse nest seems to kick up the dust and increase risk, he
said. The virus is carried by deer mice and occurs primarily in rural areas
of the West. Those cleanup methods are still valid. But Hoffman said that
in the most recent cases, the virus may have been transmitted when humans
scared mice. The frightened mice tend to urinate, which causes the virus to
become airborne.
To guard against that kind of exposure, Hoffman recommends trying to reduce
the number of mice, either through poison or traps, and airing out barns or
sheds before going into them. He also suggests wearing a mask when cleaning
or entering a building that has been closed up for a while.
He said investigators aren't sure how the Grand County woman became
exposed. "She did have activities that took her into a barn, but she also
had a cat that brought a live mouse into the house. And I'm sure that mouse
was scared." Two of the six who have contracted hantavirus in Colorado this
year have died.
There is a test to identify the virus, but because its early symptoms are
so common - fever, backaches and muscle aches - the disease often
progresses before a doctor prescribes the test. There is no specific
treatment for hantavirus, Hoffman said. "Like a lot of viruses, it runs its
course," he said. Thirteen of the 26 people known to have contracted the
disease in Colorado have died from it.
--
ProMED-mail
[The inferences regarding hantaviruses being aerosolized are unproven, as
far as I know, but they are innovative. Nonetheless, it seems unlikely that
infected mice produce a shroud or large cloud of virus when they urinate.
Possible though; viruses are very small. Citing "hantavirus", Dr. Hoffman
is utilizing the incorrect but vernacular term for Sin Nombre virus.
I find it interesting that in this La Nina year Colorado has had as many
(6) recognized cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome as we had during
1993, the year this disease was first recognized during an epidemic in the
Four Corners states. - Temp. Mod. CHC]
***
[2]
[In Hantavirus pulm. syndrome - USA (Colorado & Texas?) ProMED-mail
transcribed a newspaper report of a possible case of hantavirus pulmonary
syndrome in a Texas resident and asked Texas state officials to let us know
whether this was a confirmed case or not. We have the answer from Lisa
Marengo. It was not a hantavirus infection. - Temp. Mod. CHC]
Date: 7 Jul 2000 13:20:16 -0500 (CDT)
From: Lisa Marengo
Serology results run at TriCore Reference Laboratories of New Mexico for a
suspected HPS case in a patient living near Houston, Texas were negative
for [evidence of a hantavirus infection].
--
Lisa Marengo, MS
Public Health Technician IV
Texas Department of Health
Infectious Disease Epidemiology & Surveillance Division
--
Lisa Marengo
[I apologize to our subscribers for not having posted these messages sooner
than this. ProMED-mail has decided to post only summaries of certain
diseases, including hantaviral infections, and I had assumed more of these
would be received; there have been no more. - Temp. Mod. CHC]
[When this decision was made by the staff of ProMED-mail, there had been
numerous postings on ProMED-mail during the early part of June of human
hantaviral infections. The decision was made that reports of isolated human
cases of these infections in areas that are known to be endemic would not
be reported on a case by case basis. Human cases in previously non-endemic
areas and clusters of cases that are truly potential outbreaks will be
reported as individual ProMED-mail postings. - Man. Ed. DS]
...........................................chc/ds
(2) ARENAVIRUS INFECTIONS, HUMAN - USA (CA): CONFIRMED
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A ProMED-mail post
[see also:
Arenavirus infection, human - USA (Calif.): comment (02) 2000.2876
Arenavirus infection, human - USA (Calif.): comment 2000.2845
Arenavirus infection, human - USA (California) 2000.2834]
Date: 3 Aug 2000
From: ProMED-mail
Source: California State Department of Health, Office of Public Affairs,
Ken August or Lea Brooks,
(916) 657-3064
Three deaths in California during the past 14 months have been linked to an
arenavirus, a rare virus never before acquired by humans in North America,
State Health Director Diana M. Bontá, R.N., Dr.P.H., announced today.
The discovery followed an extensive investigation by the California
Department of Health Services (DHS) and the University of Texas Medical
Branch (UTMB) into the unexplained deaths of a 52-year-old female who died
in June 1999 in Riverside County, a 14-year-old female who died in April
2000 in Alameda County and a 30-year-old [female] who died June 2000 in
Orange County. UTMB has one of the few laboratories in the country equipped
to test for arenaviruses.
In the 14-year-old patient, [an] arenavirus has been confirmed and in the
two others, the virus is highly suspected based on initial laboratory
tests. Further testing is under way. The three individuals were each
hospitalized with fever and respiratory distress. Two of them also had
severe liver disease and bleeding consistent with viral hemorrhagic fever.
Like hantavirus[es], which cause a rare, but often fatal respiratory
disease, arenaviruses are believed to be transmitted to humans through
inhalation of dust contaminated with the urine, feces or saliva of infected
rodents. Human infection with arenavirus[es] is also likely to be very
uncommon. Arenavirus infection has been documented in rodents in Southern
California in recent years.
"Viral hemorrhagic fever associated with arenaviruses has never been
documented in the United States except among overseas travelers and
laboratory personnel exposed accidentally while doing research," Bontá
explained.
DHS was prompted to send specimens to UTMB because of clinical and autopsy
findings suggestive of viral hemorrhagic fever and a history of rodent
contact in the Riverside County patient. The virus was detected in all
three patients through testing for virus genes. In addition, virus
isolation was used to confirm infection in the 14-year-old. There is no
evidence that these cases are related.
In parts of Africa and South America, several arenaviruses are known which
cause mild to severe infection characterized by fever, headache and
occasionally severe bleeding or nervous system problems. Lassa fever and
[Argentine hemorrhagic fever, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, Venezuelan
hemorrhagic fever, Sabia hemorrhagic fever] are examples of human illnesses
caused by such arenaviruses.
The antiviral drug ribavirin has been successfully used in the treatment of
other arenavirus infections. Studies are under way to learn more about this
virus and [drugs] that may be effective.
Individuals can protect themselves from diseases carried by rodents by
taking some relatively simple precautions both in the home and while
outdoors: Do not touch or feed wild rodents or any other wild animals.
Properly dispose of trash and clutter; move woodpiles away from residences.
Prevent rodents from entering residences by blocking holes; control rodents
with spring-loaded (snap) traps. Store food and garbage in rodent-proof
containers; pet food should not be left outside. Avoid creating dust when
cleaning buildings with signs of rodent infestation. Wet the area
thoroughly with a disinfectant like bleach and use gloves to clean up.
Contact local public health officials for recommendations about safely
cleaning rodent-infested areas. Cabins and buildings that haven't been
occupied for some time should be aired out. If possible, buildings should
not be used if there are signs of rodent infestation, until properly
cleaned. When sleeping outdoors, avoid campsites near rodent droppings,
burrows or nests.
--
ProMED-mail
["Rumor", huh? ProMED-mail posted three messages early last month, the
first requesting information from knowledgeable sources. Those
knowledgeable sources did not respond and some even denied knowing
anything, when in fact it is clear now that they did. These are public
health officials? The second message we posted was in response to comments
from Orange County, denying knowledge of this and castigating us for
posting a rumor. The third message was just a lot of words saying not much
at all. Meanwhile, these officials either knew what was going on (first
case June 1999) or are out of the loop. Not surprising that UTMB
investigators would not speak on the record, given the apparent sensitivity
of this issue in California. There will not be an epidemic of this
arenavirus (I am guessing it is Whitewater Arroyo virus), so I ask again,
"What's the big deal about these cases, other than that they are a 'first'
for the U.S., and why have California State Health Department officials
withheld this information from the public and from their constituents, the
very people they work for?"
The bottom line here is that, no matter what country we live in, we must
stay aware that governments have a tendency to withhold information for
"the good of the public". Withholding information anywhere, be it
California, Malaya, or Cuba, is arrogant, unacceptable and, in the long
run, counterproductive. - Temp. Mod. CHC]
....................................................chc/ds
