By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
In an effort to combat the increasing threat to humans and livestock from the West Nile Virus, St. Francis County has received $12,881 from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management's $1 million fund to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.
Earlier this month, Governor Mike Huckabee authorized the release of funding for the emergency control of mosquitos. According to an official with ADEM, the funding was allocated based on the population and square miles in each of Arkansas' 75 counties.
The funding for the mosquito abatement program is to be used for the purchase of chemical larvicide to help control mosquitos and for educating the public on mosquito abatement procedures. According to ADEM regulations, the money is not to be used for adulticides, adulticiding equipment or personnel costs.
In St. Francis County, the funding will be split between the municipalities to help with their local programs, according to St. Francis County Judge Carl Cisco.
"With the amount that we received and the restrictions against fighting adult mosquitos, there's not a whole lot that we can do. We'll be distributing the funding to all the cities in the county so that they can use it to help with their own programs. This money can only be used to fight the larvae, and that's what we'll be using it for," Cisco said.
"If we do some things ourselves, we can help control the mosquito population. If homeowners get rid of anything that can hold standing water or get rid of any standing water on their property, that helps considerably because mosquitos don't travel far, and if there's no standing water there isn't anywhere for them to breed," Cisco said.
The Arkansas Department of Health learned this week that samples from a patient in Crittenden County were sent to a private lab and reportedly returned as a suspect case for West Nile virus.
The department reported that it is requesting additional samples from the patient for further screening. ADH routinely forwards samples from suspect cases for West Nile virus to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
There are no confirmed cases of West Nile virus in Arkansas. However, besides the suspected case in Crittenden County, there are 11 cases which have been sent to the CDC. These include four in Jefferson County, three in Arkansas County, two in Union County and one each in Monroe and Pulaski counties.
One of the Union County cases tested negative. The rest are pending.
Arkansas' 75 counties have begun receiving a portion of $1 million being distributed by the state to help kill mosquito larvae in an effort to prevent the spread of the West Nile virus.
Arkansas Health Department spokeswoman Ann Wright said the specific amounts each county receives will be released after the counties themselves have been informed.
The money will also be used for educational materials for the public.
Wright said it could take up to four weeks for test results on the suspected cases.
Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reports 425 human cases of the mosquito-borne virus, with 20 deaths.
West Nile virus is transmitted by infected mosquitoes biting humans, horses and other animals after feeding on diseased birds, which are the host animals. Not all mosquitoes have the virus in them, but the ADH said the more mosquito bites one gets, the greater the risk of catching a disease.
According to the ADH, most people who are bitten by an infected mosquito do not get sick, or only show mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Symptoms of human West Nile virus infections typically begin within 14 days following the insect bite and consist of fever, muscle and joint aches, listlessness and in severe cases, headaches leading to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
Fewer than 1 percent of those infected with West Nile virus develop severe illness. Of those with severe illness, death rates are highest among the elderly. Also at risk are people with wakened immune systems. There is no specific treatment for West Nile virus infection.
St. Francis County had sales tax reciepts of $134,511,84 in July.
In addition, towns in the county had the following amounts in county sales tax receipts: Hughes, $26,659.62; Forrest City, $210,963.68;Wheatley, $5,311.94; Palestine, $10,581.02; Madison, $14,093.76; Caldwell, $14,093.76; Colt, $5,254.82; Widener, $4,783.58.
In addition, the towns inside the county who have their own sales taxes had the following July receipts: Forrest City, $154,979.28; Hughes, $8,410.27; Madison, $2,109.45; Palestine, $3,828.15; Wheatley, $4,075.65.