4th Arizonan dies of West Nile virus
Transfused blood possibly was tainted
Kerry Fehr-Snyder
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 24, 2004 12:00 AM
Another Arizonan has died from the West Nile virus, possibly from tainted blood from a transfusion.
The victim was a man in his 40s from Navajo County who died in the past couple of days. His death marks the first and only West Nile case in Navajo County, in northeastern Arizona, and the fourth death in the state.
Blood banks have been testing donated blood for West Nile since last year, when the virus was first detected in the state.
But "there has to be a certain amount (of virus) in order for the test to be positive," said Clare Kioski, an epidemiologist with the Arizona Department of Health Services. "If you catch them (donors) really early, they're going to have undetectable levels," she added.
The man received two units of donated blood before undergoing surgery, Kioski said. She would not say which of the two blood banks in Arizona supplied the tainted blood but said the service is redrawing blood from the donor in question and retesting the original blood from samples. The tests measure the amount of virus, not the number of antibodies produced, although both amounts are expected to increase over time if the virus is present.
If the virus was transmitted by tainted blood and not a mosquito, it would mark a first in Arizona but not in the country. State health departments have reported six cases of West Nile virus caused by blood transfusion, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Mary Tyler, interim director of the Navajo County Public Health Services District, said the victim apparently suffered from other underlying health problems. She would not identify him by age, residence or name.
Health officials are investigating whether the victim became sick in Maricopa County based on his travel history to the Valley. Of the 303 cases reported to state health officials this year as of Monday, the vast majority of them, 287, live in Maricopa County.
azcentral.com |
