Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 2 0 12 BEACHCOMBER continued from page 11 spreader, to Singapore, Vietnam, and Toronto, Canada, but it did not spread widely in the United States; only seventy-three cases were report- ed in the country with no deaths. While there have been noted simi- larities between SARS and COVID- 19, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) affirms there have not been any SARS cases reported anywhere in the world since 2004. Millennium Era Flu Fears and Swine Flu Again in 2009 As fears arose in October 2005 because of a new avian flu strain's rapid spread across Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, scientists and doctors again warned of the potential for another flu or flu-like pandemic. Those fears were echoed in 2006 and in 2007, so much so that the federal government urged entities such as businesses, medical facilities, local and state health departments, and schools to establish policies and pro- tocols that would prevent the spread of new and existing influenza strains. Procedures for closing down schools, restricting travel, telecommunica- tions, quarantine, vaccine stockpiles, and education about cough and handwashing etiquette were to be addressed in all preparation plans. Then—outbreak in the spring of 2009. The World Health Organization issued a warning about a new H1N1 swine flu, which ultimately caused the first pandemic in the United States in more than forty years. The outbreak began in Mexico and quickly spread to California, Texas, and New York City by people who had traveled to Mexico before the outbreak was contained. From April 2009 through April 2010, the CDC reported 60.8 million cases in the country with 12,439 deaths. Closer to home, New Jersey reported 1,006 cases with forty-two deaths. From 2009 through 2018, the CDC approx- imates that the influenza-A H1N1 strain, which is now considered a seasonal flu, has caused at least 100.5 million illnesses and roughly 75,000 total deaths in America. During the 2009 pandemic, the CDC projected that each person infected with swine flu could spread it to at least ten percent of his/her coworkers, colleagues, or fellow stu- dents. As such, businesses, local and state health departments, and schools were once again faced with having to update policies and plans for absen- teeism, hygiene, influenza education, and increased sanitization of com- mon areas and shared items such as doorknobs, telephones, elevator but- tons, keyboards, and copiers. The Puniest of Predators With the Potentially Lethal Bite While flu-like illnesses have been the major contributors to pandem- ics, the Jersey Shore is no stranger to other types of infectious diseases pri- marily because of its shorelines and water-based landscapes. Such illness- es are spread by insects as opposed to airborne spreaders such as influenza, COVID-19, and the common cold. Mosquitos are notorious for spreading two viruses: West Nile virus, which was first identified in the United States in 1999 and a yearly concern at the Jersey Shore, and Zika virus, which also made the headlines in recent years. West Nile virus is most prevalent during the summer and early fall months. Mosquitos contract the virus by feeding on infected birds and then transmit it to humans by biting them. West Nile is not spread from person to person. Anyone can be infected with the West Nile virus, but most infections go unnoticed because eight of ten people infected, accord- ing to the CDC, do not become ill or exhibit any symptoms. About three to fifteen days after being bitten by an infected mosquito, one in five will develop a fever with other mild symptoms such as body aches, joint pains, nausea, head- aches, diarrhea, or rash. Because of the similarity in symptoms and quick recovery time, people tend to mis- take mild West Nile cases for either a seasonal bug or food poisoning, although fatigue and weakness can linger for weeks. Less than one percent of infected people will develop West Nile Fever, which is a critical health condi- tion and requires hospitalization. Symptoms include extremely high fever, severe headache, stupor or dis- orientation, muscle and neck weak- ness, vision loss, convulsions, and possible paralysis or coma. West Nile Fever will also lead to serious cen- tral nervous system illnesses such as meningitis or encephalitis. Diagnosed by a spinal tap, it's this dangerous stage of infection that can be fatal, particularly for older people and those with compromised immune systems or preexisting health con- ditions. In some cases, neurological effects can be permanent and persist long after recovery. There are no vaccines or treatments for West Nile infections at any stage other than let- ting the virus run its course. From 1999 to 2019, New Jersey reported a total of 321 West Nile cases with thirty-one fatalities and 215 cases considered to be "neuro- invasive" where the virus entered the central nervous system. As of September 1, no West Nile cases have yet been reported in New Jersey for 2020. Zika virus, another mosquito- borne illness, was first discovered in Uganda in 1947. Before 2014, very few travel-associated cases of Zika virus were identified in the United States. However, large outbreaks of Zika virus occurred here a few years ago. In 2016, 5,168 cases of Zika virus were reported in the United States, with one hundred eighty cases in New Jersey. That number has steadily declined since, and in 2018 and 2019, the CDC reported no cases The 1999 West Nile virus outbreak. This Asian mosquito, Aedes japonicus, was first collected in the United States in New Jersey and New York in 1998. It is the suspected arboviral transmitter of the West Nile virus, which remains a problem today. James Gathany

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