Officials identify West Nile Virus in county
According to Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Marion County is one of 16 which recently were added to the list of Kansas counties having confirmed cases of West Nile Virus.
Most of the recent cases are in horses, including one in Marion County.
Jessica Laurin, veterinarian at Animal Health Center of Marion County, said she was the clinician who saw the horse. She said she drew a blood sample Sept. 16 and sent it to Kansas State University for testing and received confirmation Sept. 20 of West Nile Virus.
Laurin followed the protocol set forth by KSU for treatment of animals with the virus.
This particular case was mild, Laurin said, so the animal was kept in the county and treated with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, orally and by injection. Laurin said it is similar to Tylenol.
Alpha-interferon also can be used to boost immunity.
Other, more powerful drugs, are used in severe cases and are administered through an IV or epidural.
Laurin said in severe cases animals can go down in about 72 hours and after that are difficult to treat.
She encourages horse owners to get their animals vaccinated, which will greatly reduce symptoms if they contract the illness.
She also said people should watch their animals and, if they see something that doesn't look quite right, they should seek testing and treatment.
Origins
West Nile Virus originated from Africa, Asia, and Europe. It first was found in the United States in late summer 1999 in New York City. Since then, it has spread down the eastern seaboard and westward.
Evidence of the virus has been found in 42 states and in 87 counties in Kansas.
According to KDHE, the disease is transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected bird and then bites another animal or a human.
Infected birds carry this disease for a short time, but mosquitoes provide the only known method of transmission to animals or humans.
According to KDHE, Kansas is one of 12 states that still has no confirmed human cases.
However, the Sept. 25 issue of The Salina Journal reported that a doctor in Abilene had treated a Hope man, Ryan Riffel, for West Nile Virus. The virus was confirmed by a blood analysis in a Kansas lab but has not yet been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control.
The train engineer said he was in North Platte, Neb., Aug. 27 when a group of mosquitoes swarmed his left elbow. Two days later, he began feeling sick and developed flu-like symptoms.
Back to work
After the diagnosis was made Sept. 5, he was prescribed no medication, only over-the-counter pills to ease the symptoms. The doctor said the disease would have to run its course, and Riffel is now back on the job.
According to KDHE, West Nile Virus usually causes mild symptoms. The best protection is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
People cannot get the disease from horses or from birds carrying the virus, but the CDC is studying whether transmission can occur through blood transfusions or organ transplants.
For people who need those procedures, the benefits far outweigh any risks and donating blood is safe, officials say.
