H5N1

MMWR: West Nile virus and other nationally notifiable arboviral diseases — United States, 2017

MMWR has published West Nile Virus and Other Nationally Notifiable Arboviral Diseases — United States, 2017. The summary:

What is already known about this topic?  

West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of arboviral disease in the continental United States, but several other arboviruses cause sporadic cases and outbreaks of neuroinvasive disease.  

What is added by this report?  

In 2017, eastern equine encephalitis virus transmission via organ transplantation was reported for the first time. More cases of Jamestown Canyon and Powassan virus neuroinvasive disease were reported in 2017 than in any previous year. 

What are the implications for public health practice? 

Health care providers need to consider arboviral infections in the differential diagnosis of aseptic meningitis and encephalitis, obtain appropriate specimens for laboratory testing, and promptly report cases to public health authorities.

US: 13-year-old boy dies from suspected eastern equine encephalitis

Via Arkansas Matters.com: 13-Year-Old Boy Passes from Possible Equine Encephalitis. Excerpt:

A 13-year-old battling a rare infection lost his fight today. 

Coleman Daniel Pearson passed away, according to the Prayers for Coleman Facebook page. 

Doctors as well as state health experts believe the Coleman was suffering from Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), but it has not yet been confirmed. 

(Original Story - Oct. 21) 

LITTLE ROCK, AR --Doctors and state health experts are waiting on lab results to confirm if Arkansas teen in critical condition is battling a rare infection more commonly found in horses. 

Prayers for Sevier County teen Coleman Pearson are pouring in by the minute on Facebook alongside updates explaining how doctors are treating the teen for what they believe to be Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). 

"This would be a very rare event," says Dr. Gary Wheeler, head of the Arkansas Department of Health Infectious Disease division. 

If lab results return a positive diagnosis for the infection, Pearson would be the 5th person in the U.S infected with the illness this year and the first on record in the state of Arkansas.

US: Arkansas teen likely infected with rare encephalitis

Via THV11.com: Ark. teen likely infected with rare encephalitis. Excerpt:

A 13-year-old Arkansas boy is being treated for what is believed to be a rare case of Eastern equine encephalitis in humans, according to his parents. 

Coleman Pearson, of Ben Lomond, is being treated at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock after becoming ill in September and being near death as recently as Oct. 10, his parents said. 

When Coleman, an 8th-grader at Ashdown Junior High School, first became sick in late September, his mother and father, Joanna and Craig Pearson, took him to the doctor and he was prescribed antibiotics, the Texarkana Gazette reported (http://bit.ly/1bIGmgB). 

After improving somewhat and returning to school, he became ill again on Oct. 6 and suffered what his mother believes was a seizure. 

He was taken to a local hospital, then flown to the Little Rock hospital the following day. 

"The pressure in his brain went down. Doctors said they thought his brain had ruptured, and they thought he was brain dead. They didn't think there was blood flow in the brain, but there is," Joanna said. 

His condition has not been confirmed as Eastern equine encephalitis by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but if it is, it would be the first human case of the disease in Arkansas in the more than 50 years the state has kept records.

US: Eastern equine encephalitis spreading in New England

Via Health.com: Cases of Rare But Deadly Encephalitis Rising Among Kids, Report Finds. Excerpt:

Although still rare, the extremely serious disease known as Eastern equine encephalitis may be affecting more people than before. 

In a recent review of two epidemics of Eastern equine encephalitis since the mid-2000s, researchers found 15 cases of the mosquito-borne illness among children in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Normally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention records about five to 10 cases a year nationwide. 

“This virus is rare, but it’s among the world’s most dangerous viruses, and it’s in your own backyard,” said lead review author Dr. Asim Ahmed, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston. 

In 2012 alone, Massachusetts had seven documented cases of Eastern equine encephalitis, which is the highest number of infections reported since 1956. What’s more, the first human case ever in Vermont was reported in 2012. And, public health surveillance indicates that the virus that causes Eastern equine encephalitis may now have traveled as far north as Maine and Nova Scotia, Canada. 

Results of the review are published in the February issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The February issue is not yet online; I'll link to the article when it appears.