NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document
I
THE CITY OF NEW YORK
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER
a6H NEAL L. COHEN, M.D.
COMMISSIONER
125 WORTH STREET AUG 09 2000 TEL (212) 788-5261
FAX (212) 964-0472
NEW YORK, NY 10013
DO- oo(o1
August 7, 2000
TO: Honorable Rudolph W. Giuliani
MAYOR
FROM: Neal L. Cohen, M.D.
Commissioner
SUBJECT: Bi-weekly Report -- (July 16 — July 29)
CRITICAL EVENTS & EMERGING ISSUES
West Nile Virus Activities
On Friday, August 4, the Department announced that a 78 year-old Staten
spinal
Island man has tested laboratory-positive for West Nile virus. Serum and
July 27,
fluid samples from the patient were received by the Department on the
tested for West Nile virus, and reported as positive on July 28. Testing at
was initially equivocal on
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
July 30, but repeat testing this past week was reported positive on
August 3.
Additional confirmatory test results will be available in another week. The
individual became ill with symptoms of meningo-encephalitis (fever, dizziness,
light-headedness) on July 20, and was admitted to a local hospital on July 22.
on
The individual was exposed to the virus prior to the City's spraying efforts
Staten Island. After one week in the hospital, the patient was released and is
now at home recovering.
In accordance with the Department's Arthropod-borne Disease
Surveillance and Control Plan, and in consultation with. the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the City has been conducting strategic ground-
NYC-WTC 000138073
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