From: Grendon, John [mailto:John.Grendon at DOH.WA.GOV]
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2001 4:29 PM
To: Communicable Disease List
Subject: West Nile virus surveillance

The Washington State Department of Health has applied for a second year
of
CDC funding to conduct enhanced surveillance for West Nile virus and
other
arboviruses during 2001. We should know by June 1 if the funding was
approved. Human cases of mosquito-borne arboviral infections are already

reportable in Washington. Similar to last year, enhanced surveillance
for
2001 will include efforts to detect human and equine cases and to
collect
dead birds for testing. Unlike last year when funds were received in the

fall after mosquito season, in 2001 enhanced surveillance will begin on
June
1.

The state Health Officer will send a one time mailing to key individuals
who
may be aware of possible arboviral encephalitis cases. Letters
requesting
reports of possible WNV cases will be sent to primary care physicians,
infectious disease specialists, neurologists, medical examiners,
infections
control personnel, and diagnostic laboratories. Included will be
diagnostic
criteria for possible cases and the protocol to follow for specimen
submission. The same information will be sent to all local health
officers.

Letters will also be sent to equine veterinary practitioners in the
state
requesting reports of equine encephalitis cases to the Washington
Department
of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Information
about the dead bird surveillance effort will be sent to all local health

jurisdictions, some state and federal agencies, wildlife rehabilitators,
and
other groups that have indicated they have received dead bird reports in
the
past.

These mailings will go out in the next two weeks. If you have questions
about human arboviral case surveillance please contact me as indicated
below
or Dr. Marcia Goldoft at (206) 361-2914 or marcia.goldoft at doh.wa.gov.
Please
contact me about equine case surveillance. Questions about dead bird
surveillance should go to Tom Gibbs at (360) 236-3060 or
tom.gibbs at doh.wa.gov.



John H. Grendon DVM MPH
State Public Health Veterinarian
Zoonotic Disease Program
Washington Department of Health
PO Box 47825, Olympia WA 98504-7825
phone (360) 236-3362
fax (360) 236-2261
email john.grendon at doh.wa.gov


--
Mark Oberle, MD, MPH
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
University of Washington, Box 357230
Seattle, WA 98195-7230
Tel: (206) 616-9394; 543-1144
E-mail: moberle at u.washington.edu



Mark Oberle
2006 23 Ave. East
Seattle, WA 98112-2936
Tel: 206-324-3844
oberle at mindspring.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~oberle/PRbirds.htm