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Volume 14, Number 5—May 2008

Dispatch

Increase in West Nile Neuroinvasive Disease after Hurricane Katrina

Kevin A. Caillouët*Comments to Author , Sarah R. Michaels*, Xu Xiong*, Ivo Foppa*, and Dawn M. Wesson*
Author affiliations: *Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;

Main Article

Table 2

Incidence rate ratios of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) in 2002–2005 and 2006 in Louisiana parishes and Mississippi counties*

State, area West Nile neuroinvasive disease incidence rate†
 Incidence rate ratio (95% CI)
2002‡ 2003‡ 2004‡ 2005‡ 2002–2005§ 2006¶
Louisiana
Affected 5.6 1.3 0.2 1.4 2.1 4.4 2.09 (1.48–2.94)
Unaffected
 4.1
 2.7
 2.7
 3.2
 3.2
 1.5
 0.47 (0.35–0.64)
Mississippi
Affected 6.1 2.1 0.8 1.5 2.6 6.5 2.45 (1.77–3.47)
Unaffected 5.5 1.7 1.2 1.3 2.4 1.7 0.71 (0.55–1.03)

*WNND incidence rates increased 2-fold in the hurricane-affected regions of both states. The unaffected regions showed a decrease in WNND incidence rates (Louisiana) and no change in incidence (Mississippi). CI, confidence interval.
†No. cases/100,000.
‡Population estimate based on 2000 US Census (8).
§Cumulative WNND incidence = (no. WNND cases 2002 + 2003 + 2004 + 2005) / cumulative population (Census 2000 [8] × 100,000).
¶Population estimate based on 2006 US Census estimate (7).

Main Article

References
  1. Lehman  JA, Hinckley  AF, Kniss  KL, Nasci  RS, Smith  TL, Campbell  GL, Effect of Hurricane Katrina on arboviral disease transmission. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13:1273–5.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neuroinvasive and non-neuroinvasive domestic arboviral diseases (includes diseases caused by California serogroup viruses; eastern and western equine encephalitis viruses; and Powassan, St. Louis encephalitis, and West Nile viruses). 2004 [cited 2007 Oct 23]. Available from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&control.htm#casedefinition
  3. Knabb  RD, Rhome  JR, Brown  DP. Tropical cyclone report: Hurricane Katrina, August 23–30, 2005 [cited 2008 Feb 19]. Available from http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/TCR-AL122005_Katrina.pdf
  4. Final evacuation of New Orleans completed. Reuters [International Herald Tribune]. 2005 Sep 4.
  5. Hayes  EB, Komar  N, Nasci  RS, Montgomery  SP, O’Leary  DR, Campbell  GL. Epidemiology and transmission dynamics of West Nile virus disease. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11:1167–73.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  6. US Census Bureau. Special population estimates for impacted counties in the Gulf Coast area. 2007 [cited 2008 Feb 19]. Available from http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/emergencies/impacted_gulf_estimates.html
  7. US Census Bureau. US census 2000 [cited 2008 Feb 19]. Available from http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html
  8. Breidenbach  M, Haagsma  K, Olson  S, Teig  D, Spears  B, McHugh  C, Air Force aerial spray operations to control adult mosquitoes following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Wing Beats. 2006;Summer:7–15.

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Page created: July 08, 2010
Page updated: July 08, 2010
Page reviewed: July 08, 2010
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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