County declares emergency as two more die from West Nile

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Two more Elmore County men have died in the last ten days from West Nile virus, prompting the county commissioners to declare a state of disaster for the county, the precursor to officially asking the governor to commit state resources to help.

The two deaths last week brought the total number of deaths due to the mosquito-borne virus in Elmore County to three, half of the total deaths reported statewide. As of Monday, the state had 329 cases of West Nile, with 16 cases, plus the three deaths, reported in Elmore County.

One of the men who died was identified by family members as Larry Shaw, 66. The other person, believed to be in his 90s, was not identified but West Nile was listed as a contributing factor in his death.

"We don't believe anything unusual is happening in Elmore County," said Dr. Leslie Tengelsen, deputy state epidemiologist. "It's just that West Nile is frequently more serious in people over the age of 50." All three Elmore County deaths have occurred in people over 60 years of age.

The state requires doctors to report cases of West Nile, and breaks those cases into two groups, one involving basic fevers, headaches and muscle and body aches, and the other, more serious form, described as "neuroinvasive," which can cause death or damage to the brain and require extensive rehabilitation. As of Monday, Elmore County had three of the 49 cases of neuroinvasive forms of the illness reported.

Even though the mosquito season is almost over, the county commissioners in the last few weeks have been under increasing pressure to do something.

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