LaCrosse virus reach under study

The Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health is set to receive $68,000 in federal money next year to help study a specific type of encephalitis among local teens.

Last year, health officials diagnosed two cases of a rare mosquito-borne illness called LaCrosse encephalitis. In one case, the illness caused neurological problems for the patient. But in August, 15-year-old Christopher James Doyle died of the illness.

About 70 cases of LaCrosse are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention a year.

But Dr. Deborah McMahan, the county’s health commissioner, wants to know for sure just how common the illness really is.

She hopes to take blood specimens from 1,000 area high school students to see whether they were ever exposed to LaCrosse.

She would also like to encourage doctors to consider testing for these types of illnesses, which can cause future learning problems and seizures for children with the diseases, McMahan said.

Detection can help clue parents and doctors into potential complications, she said.

Rep. Mark Souder, R-3rd, was able to secure the $68,000 for the study. The money will be available next year, McMahan said.

The study complements the health department’s shift in focus away from just the risk of West Nile virus, another mosquito-borne disease, to all arboviral diseases.

Previously, the health department had encouraged residents to wear insect repellent near dusk or dawn because West Nile-carrying mosquitoes are out at night. But LaCrosse-carrying mosquitoes are out during the day.

McMahan said anyone outdoors should wear repellent regardless of the time of day.

To help reinforce the message to wear repellent, Doyle’s parents, Jim and Sherry Doyle, are organizing a memorial softball benefit from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 28 at the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne softball diamond. The event will also include a raffle, silent auction, food and other games.

Proceeds will go to the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Parkview Hospital, Sherry Doyle told the board of health during its meeting Monday.

Her son’s death was shocking and quick, she told the board.

And the Doyle family wants the community to be aware there are different kinds of mosquitoes and viruses and the need to wear repellent, Sherry Doyle said.

So far this year, health officials are investigating one human case of suspected West Nile virus. Test results that could verify whether the patient has West Nile could be available next week, McMahan said.

McMahan also reported nine patients have active tuberculosis. About half of those patients are immigrants or refugees and the other half are local cases, she told the board.

The number of TB cases is on a pace to surpass last year’s total of 10 cases, McMahan said.

In other news, the board received an update on the department’s efforts to enforce Allen County’s smoking ordinance.

As of Monday morning, the department had received a total of 59 calls from the public regarding the county’s ordinance and Fort Wayne’s smoking ban. Most of the calls pertained to Fort Wayne’s law, said Angelique Causey, the department’s smoking ordinance coordinator.

The department has investigated just one formal complaint, but no citations were issued, McMahan said.
SOURCE:www.fortwayne.com