Cache Valley virus has been detected in Nebraska in a pool of mosquitoes collected Aug. 6 in Lincoln County, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said Friday.
The West Central District Health Department, based in North Platte, collected the sample as part of the state health department’s mosquito surveillance program. North Platte is the county seat of Lincoln County.
The agency began limited expanded testing for Cache Valley virus and two others — Jamestown Canyon virus and LaCross encephalitis virus — spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes earlier this year. Jamestown Canyon virus was detected for the first time in a mosquito sample collected in Douglas County in late June.
Cache Valley virus is endemic to the United States but human disease is rare, according to the state agency, with only seven cases ever reported in the country.
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However, all of the human cases that have been reported have resulted in serious neuroinvasive diseases such as encephalitis and meningitis, according to the agency. Three of the seven cases have resulted in death and the other cases have lead to long-term effects.
The virus also is known to cause reproductive disease in animals, primarily sheep, but also cattle and goats. It can lead to stillbirths and birth defects in those animals if they are infected in a specific period during pregnancy.
The virus, however, does not cause disease in adult animals. Sporadic animal cases of Cache Valley virus infection have been reported in Nebraska previously, making it a potential veterinary pathogen in the state. Cache Valley virus is only transmitted to people and animals via mosquito bites and not by direct contact with infected animals.
There is currently no treatment or vaccine for Cache Valley virus disease in either people or animals. Preventing mosquito bites is the only way to reduce the risk of acquiring the disease.
West Nile virus, which also is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, also has been detected in 59 of the 949 mosquito samples collected throughout the state this year.
Twenty-five human cases of West Nile have been reported so far. But because most people infected with the virus have no symptoms or only mild flu-like illness, such reports don’t include all cases.
Even though it’s now late summer, health officials strongly encouraged Nebraskans to continue to protect themselves from mosquito bites because the insects will remain active until the first hard freeze.
Preventative measures include wearing repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus; wearing long sleeves and pants; avoiding outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active; making sure windows and doors have screens to keep mosquitoes out; and getting rid of standing water.
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Publish date : 2024-09-06 09:00:00
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