Epidemiology
The Monongalia County Health Department (MCHD) Epidemiology Program manages potential communicable disease threats to the public through the provision of technical assistance, investigations, education, and prevention programs. Epidemiology is involved with and supports all of the public health disciplines - Public Health Nursing, Public Health Sanitation and Public Health Education.
The public health workforce is routinely in contact with local hospitals, doctors, and other health care agencies. Disease trends are monitored and MCHD’s programming is altered in relation to the county’s communicable disease status. This includes actions like inspecting a restaurant for food-borne illness, visiting a childcare center, tracking an ill hospital patient, administering a vaccine, or preparing a news release for the general public.
The Epidemiology program reports on over 60 different mandated infectious diseases. The MCHD disease reports are fed into the state system and then forwarded directly to the Centers for Disease Control. In this era of bio-weapons and threat preparedness, immediate reporting is essential to providing “Homeland Security.” The Regional Epidemiologist, housed at MCHD, is responsible for a nine county region in north-central West Virginia. These counties include Monongalia, Preston, Marion, Taylor, Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis, Upshur and Barbour. Regional training sessions are conducted to keep regional staff current with disease surveillance, case management, threat preparedness, and other pertinent infectious disease education.
The public health workforce is routinely in contact with local hospitals, doctors, and other health care agencies. Disease trends are monitored and MCHD’s programming is altered in relation to the county’s communicable disease status. This includes actions like inspecting a restaurant for food-borne illness, visiting a childcare center, tracking an ill hospital patient, administering a vaccine, or preparing a news release for the general public.
The Epidemiology program reports on over 60 different mandated infectious diseases. The MCHD disease reports are fed into the state system and then forwarded directly to the Centers for Disease Control. In this era of bio-weapons and threat preparedness, immediate reporting is essential to providing “Homeland Security.” The Regional Epidemiologist, housed at MCHD, is responsible for a nine county region in north-central West Virginia. These counties include Monongalia, Preston, Marion, Taylor, Harrison, Doddridge, Lewis, Upshur and Barbour. Regional training sessions are conducted to keep regional staff current with disease surveillance, case management, threat preparedness, and other pertinent infectious disease education.
Raccoon Oral Rabies Vaccine Baiting
The Monongalia County Health Department, in cooperation with the West Virginia Department of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, and the United States Department of Agriculture, is taking part in an innovative program to eliminate raccoon rabies from spreading westward throughout West Virginia. West Virginia's oral rabies vaccine baiting for raccoons was conducted in September 2002, September 2003 and will continue in 2004. The purpose of this baiting is to vaccinate raccoons against rabies. A raccoon is vaccinated by eating bait containing the vaccine. Baits are dropped in areas where raccoons are likely to find them.
West Nile Virus
In August and September 1999, six people in the northeastern United States and a Canadian visiting New York died from West Nile encephalitis, a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes. The West Nile Virus had never before been reported in the Western Hemisphere. Since that time, West Nile Virus has spread across the United States at a fast pace. West Nile Virus is an illness in which mosquitoes that carry the disease can infect people and animals. It is commonly found in Africa, West Asia, and the Middle East.
Mosquitoes are carriers of the illness, but birds are the cause. Mosquitoes become infected after they bite infected birds. The mosquitoes pass the disease on to humans and other animals. For prevention of the West Nile disease, the most important aspect is education and knowledge. Eliminate mosquito breeding areas. These include places that collect water near your house. Make sure that water flows freely from gutters, fill in ditches, remove old tires from your yard, change and empty wading pools, fountains, bird baths, potted plant trays, and rain barrels. Use mosquito repellants, wear long sleeves, wear long pants, use head nets, and make sure that windows and screen doors are shut tight. Reporting dead birds is a necessary precaution for early warning signs of West Nile.
Surveillance is considered a key in early detection. Limit outdoor exposure and take precautions from dusk to dawn because at these times mosquitoes are more likely to bite. Do not handle a dead bird without gloves. Call the Monongalia County Health Department (598-5100) to determine if the bird needs tested for West Nile Virus.
Mosquitoes are carriers of the illness, but birds are the cause. Mosquitoes become infected after they bite infected birds. The mosquitoes pass the disease on to humans and other animals. For prevention of the West Nile disease, the most important aspect is education and knowledge. Eliminate mosquito breeding areas. These include places that collect water near your house. Make sure that water flows freely from gutters, fill in ditches, remove old tires from your yard, change and empty wading pools, fountains, bird baths, potted plant trays, and rain barrels. Use mosquito repellants, wear long sleeves, wear long pants, use head nets, and make sure that windows and screen doors are shut tight. Reporting dead birds is a necessary precaution for early warning signs of West Nile.
Surveillance is considered a key in early detection. Limit outdoor exposure and take precautions from dusk to dawn because at these times mosquitoes are more likely to bite. Do not handle a dead bird without gloves. Call the Monongalia County Health Department (598-5100) to determine if the bird needs tested for West Nile Virus.
Contact: Robert W. White, Regional Epidemiologist
304-598-5130
304-598-5130
