Deer mouse. Courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Oklahoma 03/27/13 leaderandtimes.com: by Robert Pierce – The recent death of a Hooker, Okla., woman has been ruled as hantavirus. According to district coroner Dr. Hubert C. Peterson, the woman was 50 years old, and she died last week in Ulysses. Hantaviruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control, are a group of viruses that may be carried by some rodents. Some hantaviruses can cause a rare but deadly disease called hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, or HPS for short. Last week’s case is the first of 2013. No cases were reported to the Seward County Health Department in 2012, and clinic RN Charly Madden 
said it has been a few years since the last case. “I would say it has been at least three or four years,” she said. “We just want people to be aware of it and not forget.” Peterson said he was called about the case around 9:30 p.m. around March 19. “She was visiting her parents that live (in Ulysses),” he said. “She had a four-day history of viral symptoms.” Peterson said those symptoms included nausea, muscle aches and increasing respiratory distress. “She went to a Ulysses physician, where she elected to have treatment and return to her parents’ home,” he said. Peterson said tests showed the disease was in its later stages, and the woman was found four hours after returning to her parents’ home. The coroner said the disease attacks lungs and involves all pulmonary tissue similar to what happens with premature babies. “The patients die of total respiratory insufficiency,” he said. – For complete article see http://www.leaderandtimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11288:hantavirus-kills-hooker-okla-woman&catid=12:local-news&Itemid=40
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE):
Florida 03/25/13 Hillsborough County: Health officials have announced that a human case of EEE has been confirmed in the county for the first time in three years. The person, who was infected with the mosquito-borne virus earlier this month, is recovering. It is unusual to see a case of EEE so early in the year and officials have issued an alert. – See http://www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/breaking-news/2013/mar/25/2/mosquito-borne-eastern-equine-encephalitis-case-in-ar-670121/
Equine Herpes Virus-1:
Montana 03/25/13 liv.mt.gov: News Release – A 6-year-old mare in Gallatin County has tested positive for Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1), but is not related to a case in Flathead County reported late last week. “We have another case of EHV-1, but let me stress that there is no connection to the earlier case,” said assistant state veterinarian Dr. Tahnee Szymanski. “Fortunately, the Gallatin County case, like the Flathead case, appears to be an isolated event.” The infected horse arrived in Montana three weeks ago from southern California. – For complete release see http://liv.mt.gov/news/2013/2013-0325_equinesherpesvirusgallatincounty.mcpx
Montana 03/21/13 liv.mt.gov: News Release – A horse in Flathead County has been diagnosed with the neurological form Equine Herpes virus (EHV1) after developing clinical signs of the disease. Based upon the travel history of the animal and the incubation period of the disease, the horse was likely exposed at an event in Ravalli County earlier this month. The Department of Livestock is currently working with event organizers to inform event participants of the potential risk. – For complete release see http://liv.mt.gov/news/2013/2013-0321_equineherpesvirusinflatheadhorse.mcpx
Rabies:
Arkansas 03/22/13 Pulaski County: A skunk found in the Edgewater subdivision near Lake Willastein in Maumelle has tested positive for rabies. – See http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=647862
Colorado 03/22/13 Larimer County: Three skunks and a raccoon have tested positive for rabies in the past week. A raccoon that fought with a vaccinated dog in the vicinity of U.S. 287 and Eisenhower Blvd. in Loveland tested positive for the virus. One of the skunks also fought with a dog near the north end of Carter Lake, and the other two were found in the Masonville area. – See http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20130322/NEWS01/303220030/3-skunks-raccoon-Larimer-County-test-positive-rabies?nclick_check=1
New Jersey 03/25/13 Cumberland County: An aggressive raccoon that was in contact with a dog in Stow Creek Township on March 7th has tested positive for rabies. The dog has been quarantined and its owners are being treated for exposure to the virus. – See http://www.nj.com/cumberland/index.ssf/2013/03/second_reported_case_of_rabies.html
North Carolina 03/23/13 Durham County: A raccoon found in the 100 block of Bahama Road has tested positive for rabies. This is the 5th rabies-infected raccoon reported in the county this year. – See http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/03/23/2773976/fifth-case-of-rabies-in-durham.html
