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West Nile virus surfaces in Fayette County, Eastern Pennsylvania First three cases reported in state; all victims recovering Thursday, September 20, 2001 By Anita Srikameswaran and Don Hopey, Post-Gazette Staff Writers
A Fayette County resident is one of the first three people in Pennsylvania to get West Nile encephalitis, the Department of Health announced yesterday.
The Allegheny County Health Department relies on the public to assist with West Nile surveillance in birds. If you see a crow, raptor (owl or hawk) or blue jay that has been dead for less than 48 hours, call the department at 412-687-ACHD. A county expert will tell you whether the bird should be brought in for testing.
Preliminary tests, which are 95 percent accurate, showed that a 60-year-old Fayette County man, a 60-year-old Philadelphia County man, and a 49-year-old Delaware County woman were infected with West Nile virus. Final results are expected next week.
The state Health Department did not reveal names or details of the cases but did note that the patients were recovering.
Health officials haven't pinpointed where the Fayette and Delaware County patients became infected because both traveled outside the state. But the experts weren't alarmed to find human cases here.
"We are not necessarily surprised," said Pennsylvania Physician General Robert Muscalus. "We have been anticipating the first case in humans actually since the virus was identified almost a year ago in Pennsylvania."
Then, it was seen in mosquitoes, some birds and a horse. The virus has not yet been found in surveillance of birds and mosquitoes in southwestern Pennsylvania, said Guillermo Cole, spokesman for the Allegheny County Health Department.
West Nile virus is common in Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It made its first appearance in the Western Hemisphere in 1999. It has since been found in 20 states.
Mosquitoes that have fed on West Nile-infected birds can pick up the virus and transmit it to humans and animals through bites. The virus can't be spread between people.
West Nile infection is typically mild in humans, causing fever, headache, body aches and swollen glands, much like the common cold. Often, such cases never get tested and go unreported.
Elderly people and those with chronic diseases or compromised immune systems are at higher risk of developing severe infections such as encephalitis, which may produce confusion, high fever, severe headache or convulsions.
"Your chances of being bitten by an infected mosquito are small," Muscalus said. "Even if you are bitten by an infected mosquito, your chances of getting an infection are small. And if you're bitten by an infected mosquito, your chances of having a really severe infection, such as encephalitis, are smaller yet."
There is no specific treatment for infection, nor has a human vaccine been developed.
In response to the viral infection reports, the state Department of Environmental Protection dispersed a powdered chemical larvicide at 35 sites in Fayette County, starting last weekend and continuing through yesterday.
Larvicide has been dispersed in Erie County since April because the West Nile virus was found there last year.
April Hutcheson, a DEP spokeswoman, said no mosquito larvae or dead birds have tested positive for the virus in Fayette County.
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