More Encephalitis Reported in NYC
NEW YORK, Sep 14, 1999 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- As the city prepared
to complete the first round of aerial and ground spraying to combat
mosquito-borne encephalitis, two more cases of the potentially deadly
disease were confirmed.
The latest cases -- a 15-year-old boy who has been hospitalized and a
38-year-old woman who health officials say appears to have recovered --
bring the total number of confirmed cases to 11. Three of those have
died.
''Until now, the youngest person who had a confirmed case was 58 years
old,'' said city Health Department director Neal Cohen. ''Younger
people, given stronger immune response, generally have milder forms of
the illness.''
The city is awaiting lab results for 65 other people who may have been
infected with the St. Louis strain, including a 79-year-old woman who
died Saturday in the Queens borough.
St. Louis encephalitis can cause seizure, paralysis and swelling of the
brain that is sometimes fatal, especially to infants, the elderly and
people with immune deficiency. Its symptoms include fever, headache and
lethargy.
Spraying of the insecticide malathion was planned tonight for parts of
Staten Island, which would complete the first round of citywide
spraying. Additional spraying will take place over the next several
weeks.
On Monday, city health employees and consultants from the Centers for
Disease Control continued trapping and testing birds, which, like
humans, become infected with encephalitis through mosquito bites.
Testing birds provides an indication of whether mosquitoes in a
particular area are carrying the disease.
Eight of the confirmed cases were in Queens, and one was in Brooklyn.
The two new cases are the first in the Bronx. The city has been
distributing bottles of free insect repellent at fire stations.
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By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
APO Priority=r
APO Category=1110
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