SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
FOR RELEASE: August 15, 2003
Nick Hill, 605-773-3737 

West Nile Virus testing summary; 20 more human cases detected

          The Department of Health reported 20 new human WNV disease cases today in residents of Brown, Brule, Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Dewey, Fall River (3), Hughes, Marshall, Minnehaha, Pennington (4), Shannon, Sully, Turner, and Yankton Counties.  This brings the number of human WNV cases in South Dakota to 97 during the 2003 WNV transmission season. 

     Thirty-one percent cases with a known diagnosis have been diagnosed with meningoencephalitis and 69 percent with West Nile fever. Diagnosis is still pending on some cases.  Forty-eight percent of the cases have been male and 52 percent female.  The median age is 47 years and the ages range from 6 to 88 years.  The elderly are at greatest risk of meningoencephalitis, the most severe form of WNV disease; 65% of the cases are over 50 years old. 

     There have also been 31 asymptomatic individuals who were detected through routine screening of blood donations since 1 July.  There are 128 human WNV disease cases or blood donor detections.  Human cases or detections have been found in 42 (64%) of South Dakota’s 66 counties.  

     Bird, horse and mosquito WNV detections indicate that the virus is widespread in South Dakota and everyone should take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.  All South Dakotans and visitors should be protecting themselves from mosquitoes, even in dry regions where mosquitoes are less abundant.  South Dakota communities are recommended to strongly consider adult mosquito control.  Community residents are urged to support their community’s control efforts, which should include removing places where mosquitoes grow, larvicide application, spraying adult mosquitoes, and local public education. 

     Detailed information on county bird, mammal and mosquito detection numbers can be found on the SD West Nile Website at www.state.sd.us/doh/WestNile.