BBB's contractor diagnosed with West Nile Virus

Wow. Bad to hear that your contractor/friend has been diagnosed with West Nile. Good to hear that a diagnosis was made, so treatment can proceed. Very good to hear that his particular form may be helpful to the scientists.

Beth
Thanks, Beth. I read about another man in colorado whose West Nile experience is similar to Henry's. Scientists are using his blood in search of a vaccine.

BumbleBeeBoogie

Howdy Bumble

Most people infected with WNV have strong enough immune systems to keep it in check. In fact the chances of it crossing the blood/brain barrier are fairly slim.

Wench
Wench, that's encouraging.

BBB

That's good to know that he will be okay and will be able to contribute to solving the problem, at the same time. I've found two dead birds in my back yard in the past couple of weeks, and even though I know most humans don't die of it, it's scary. And gross (have to keep the bird on ice until the health dept picks it up).

Liberty
Liberty, where in the Southwest are you located?

BumbleBeeBoogie

I'm in Tulsa.

Best wishes for Henry's good & quick recovery, BBB. Being outside so much, construction workers may be more likely to be exposed to the W. Nile virus-laden mosquitoes. From what you said, he was bitten more than a month ago. Was he in your area during that time or had he traveled, do you know?

Wear light-colored clothes, no perfume and use DEET, right? Please be extra careful, yourself -- You, too, LibertyD! Were those dead birds crows?

I'm curious about his symptoms...do you know what they were, BBB?

Piffka, one was a crow and one was a blue-jay.

I haven't had much luck this year with the sprays, strangely. Something that Eva told me that was interesting is that mosquitos are attracted by estrogen, as well as perfume.

I did find some huge incense sticks that help repel the mosquitos, at least while the sticks are burning. They're just sandlewood, but I guess the smoke is what keeps them away?

Henry
Henry and his family were outside on an Albuquerque Mesa the July 4th holiday. He wears tanks and shorts in the heat, but uses lots of repellent containing Deet when outside. He said in a group of people, any mosquitos will bite him and not others. The doctor said Henry exudes lots of carbon Dioxide to which mosquitos are attracted.

About 10 days after July 4th, Henry began feeling sick. Stiff and cramped muscles, swollen lymph glands, extreme fatigue, but no temperature. He kept working, but was exhausted and sore by early afternoon each day. When he got so sick that he couldn't drag himself to work, he finally saw his doctor.

The doctor didn't know the cause and ran several blood tests. Nothing to identify what was making Henry so sick. Henry called me and I urged him to be firm and persistent that the doctor refer him to an infectious disease specialist. The specialist ran more tests that still didn't produce a cause, except that Henry had unusually high white blood cell count.

Henry called me again and I told him the high white cell blood count probably indicated a viral infection, so then he demanded a West Nile blood test, which was done last Friday. His doctor called him today to report confirmation that he has West Nile and lots of antibodies.

Henry's doctor also said he would be called by the County and State Health Departments because his high blood anti-body count makes him a good candidate for research for a possible vaccine.

Henry was so relieved at the news because the next test planned for him if his illness wasn't identified was for a lymphoma biopsy.

The doctor said there is no medication indicated because there is no cure yet. It will just take some time for him to recover; the length of time is unknown.


Most West Nile cases have not been in Albuquerque in Bernallio County. Henry's case is among the first to be identified so far.

----BumbleBeeBoogie

Well, thank goodness he's going to be okay. Be careful, Bumbles!

BTW, the highest number of human cases of west nile are in Colorado.

"Coloradoans, especially those over 50 years old, are being reminded to take precautions by protecting themselves against mosquitoes and by reducing mosquito breeding grounds near their homes.

Such prevention measures include avoiding outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active; wearing long-sleeved shirts, pants, shoes and socks; using mosquito repellents with DEET; and eliminating standing water in tires, birdbaths or similar water-holding containers because these may serve as mosquito breeding sites."

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/2369242/detail.html

West Nile Doubles Again; More Than 1,400 People Infected
Aug. 27, 2003
CDC: West Nile Doubles Again; More Than 1,400 People Infected
The Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) - West Nile virus activity has again doubled, now affecting more than 1,400 people in the United States, federal officials said Wednesday.

Thirty-four states reported a total of 1,442 cases and 21 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Last week, the agency reported 715 cases and 14 deaths.

Colorado and the central United States continue to be the hardest hit. Colorado's 635 human cases lead the country, followed by 204 cases in South Dakota, 190 in Nebraska and 106 in Texas, the CDC said.

Six of the country's deaths were in Colorado, followed by four in Nebraska.

The virus is spread to people or animals by bites from mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds. It rarely kills, but about 1 in 150 people who get it will develop potentially deadly encephalitis or meningitis.

Since the virus first entered the country through New York in 1999, late August through September has been its peak season. It infected 4,156 people and killed 284 in 2002 - its largest U.S. outbreak yet.

A friend of mine, in Chicago, had it last year. He recovered fully.

Sozobe
Sozobe, glad to hear your friend recovered. How long was he ill?

BumbleBeeBoogie

I'm not sure. It was definitely a while -- 3 weeks is what comes to mind. Definitely sore and creaky for a while after that, hasn't felt totally himself since. (He's 60.)