Steve Miller, Journal staff | Posted: Saturday, October 20, 2007 11:00 pm
|
The sixth deaths in
South Dakota from West Nile virus this year make 2007 the
second-worst year for the disease in the state, according to state
epidemiologist Lon Kightlinger of the state Health
Department.
The Health
Department reported the sixth death last week, a Hutchinson County
resident between the ages of 80 and 89. Previous West Nile deaths
this year were in Pennington, Todd, Brown, Hand and Lake counties.
All but one of the victims were in the 80- to 89-year-old age
group.
The most deadly
year for West Nile was 2003, when 14 South Dakotans died and more
than 1,000 others fell ill.
Kightlinger said
three or fewer people have died in the other years since
2003.
This is also the
second-worst year for the number of neuro-invasive cases of West
Nile, Kightlinger said in a recent phone interview. There have been
48 reported cases of neuro-invasive form of West Nile, which
attacks the brain or spinal cord or both, and can result in
paralysis and death.
In 2003, there were
171 cases of neuro-invasive West Nile virus in South Dakota. Many
of those were in the Rapid City area, Kightlinger
said.
So far, there have
been 206 reported cases of West Nile virus in the state, the
third-highest number since the disease arrived in South Dakota
earlier this decade. There were 229 cases in 2005.
So far this year,
there have been 19 cases of West Nile virus in Pennington County,
eight in Meade County, seven in Butte County, three in Lawrence
County, and one each in Custer and Fall River
counties.
Kightlinger said
West Nile virus is here to stay. "We have to keep up with mosquito
control and we have to keep up with personal protection," he said.
"We just have to keep fighting this. Two hundred cases and six
deaths is not really acceptable."
Contact Steve
Miller at 394-8417 or
steve.miller@rapidcityjournal.com
