Current Community Outbreaks

Pertussis Outbreak

Southwest Idaho is currently experiencing an outbreak of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Pertussis is a very contagious respiratory illness that may begin like the common cold but unlike the common cold, the coughing can last for a few weeks or months. Treating pertussis early with antibiotics may make the infection less serious.

Trends

We are currently seeing a range of individuals getting sick with pertussis. Pertussis does not discriminate by age as we have seen individuals from 1-78 years old get sick, but we are noticing a large percentage of persons sick being school aged children (5-19 years old). We are also seeing that those getting sick are unimmunized or under immunized.

How to prevent

The best way to prevent pertussis is to get vaccinated!

What to look out for

Symptoms of pertussis:

Early Symptoms (1-2 weeks)

• runny or stuffy nose
• low grade fever
• mild, occasional cough
• babies may struggle to breath

Later Symptoms (2 weeks after symptoms start)

Coughing fits which may cause people to

• Make a high-pitched “whoop”
• Vomit during or after coughing fits
• Feel very tired after the fit
• Have difficulty sleeping at night
• Struggle to breathe
• Fracture a rib

What to do if you are sick or around someone who is sick

Seek medical care for testing and treatment if you or someone in your home is sick with what may be pertussis. Antibiotics are given as treatment for those sick and can be given to others in the home that have been exposed to prevent them from getting sick.

People can be contagious for weeks starting when symptoms begin for at least 2 weeks after the onset of cough. We recommend practicing good cough and hand hygiene to prevent the spread of pertussis to others.

People who have had whooping cough do have some immunity for future infections, but it does not provide lifelong protection.

Reportable Diseases

The epidemiologists at Southwest District Health investigate reportable diseases and implements measures to prevent the spread of diseases. Healthcare providers, labs, and hospitals report communicable diseases via a dedicated, confidential reporting line.

Hot topics in SW Idaho

Summer season brings an increase in mosquito and tick activity in Idaho. This increase in activity also brings an increase in vector-borne disease transmission. Common symptoms of arboviral diseases include fever, headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and lethargy. In cases of severe arboviral infections, neurological symptoms of encephalitis, seizures, coma and paralysis can occur.

If you are experiencing any of the above mentioned symptoms talk with your doctor about testing.

To help prevent exposures to arboviral diseases from mosquito and tick bites, use insect repellents with DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), Para-menthane-diol (PMD) or 2-undecanone. For more information about which insect repellent may be right for you, check out the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) site on repellents: https://www.epa.gov/insect-repellents

Other prevention methods include wearing long pants and shirts that are pre-treated with permethrin. Do not use permethrin products directly on your skin.

Always check yourself and pets for ticks after being outdoors, especially under arms, in and around ears, inside belly button, back of the knees, in and around the hair, between legs and around the waist. Showering within two hour of being outside also helps wash off unattached ticks. See more information on tick bites at https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html.

Lastly, take steps at home by using screens on doors and windows, repairing any holes, and turning over any items that may have standing water (i.e. tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots or trash containers). Check these weekly!

Tick and mosquito

• Tick Bite: What To Do
• How To Protect Against Mosquito Bites
• How To Protect Against Mosquito Bites (Spanish/Espanol)

For information on West Nile Virus visit the following:

Links for more information

Visit the following links to check out:

• Nationwide Outbreaks
• CDC Information on Diseases and Conditions A-Z

What We Do

There are over 70 reportable diseases and conditions in Idaho. When one of these conditions is reported, Southwest District Health (SWDH) Epidemiologists (Epis) will investigate the illness and work to establish the source of the infection, determine whether others have been exposed, and if an outbreak has occurred. Epis may make recommendations to restrict people from daycare, school, or work while they are infectious to prevent further spread. Epis sometimes make recommendations for those who have been exposed to an infectious disease to receive an immunization, test, or treatment to prevent them from becoming ill. SWDH Epis also offer case management for active tuberculosis (TB) which includes a way to help clients to take their TB medications called Directly Observed Therapy or DOT.

If you need to get in touch with an Epi, please call 208-455-5442.

Health Professionals

Idaho Reportable Diseases

In Idaho, licensed physicians, hospital or health care facility administrators, laboratory directors, physician assistants, certified nurse practitioners, registered nurses, school health nurses, infection surveillance staff, public health officials and coroners are required to report all reportable diseases and conditions.

School administrators must report the closure of any public, parochial, charter, or private school within one (1) working day when, in his or her opinion, such a closing is related to communicable disease.

To report a communicable disease or condition to Southwest District Health Communicable Disease / Epidemiology Program:

• Call SWDH Epi Confidential Phone Reporting Line: 208-455-5442
• Fax SWDH Epi Confidential Fax Reporting Line: 208-455-5350
• E-mail SWDH to talk to an Epi swdh.epi@swdh.id.gov
  

  *Do not send Protected Health Information (PHI) via email.

• SWDH – Reportable Disease Reporting Form
• Idaho Reportable Disease List
• Extended GC Questionnaire for Providers (fillable PDF)
• Southwest District Health Info Card (English)
• Southwest District Health Info Card (Spanish)
• Tuberculosis
  • Tuberculosis Risk Assessment Resource
  • Tuberculosis Diagnosis Steps for Healthcare Providers
  • Tuberculosis Fact Sheet for General Public
• Idaho Health Alert Network (HAN)
  • The Idaho HAN system is an automated system designed to rapidly deliver time-critical, health-related information to designated health partners.
  • Idaho Health Alert Network Welcome Page
  • HAN registration: https://health.dhw.idaho.gov/IDHAN/Form/User/register_user.aspx

HIPAA and Public Health

In accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the privacy rule expressly permits protected health information (PHI) to be shared for specified public health purposes. For example, covered entities (providers, nurses, health facilities, labs, etc.) may disclose PHI, without individual authorization to a public health authority legally authorized to collect or receive the information for the purposes of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability. See 45 CFR 164.512(b)((1)(i).

Bed Bugs

While bed bugs are not known to carry any diseases, they can cause a great deal of stress on the human body.  Bed bugs are well known around the world.  The adults have flat, dark reddish-brown bodies near the size of an eraser on a pencil.  Their eggs are white and can be difficult to spot.  They have five stages of growth between the egg and adult stage.  After they hatch out, the “nymph” will begin as white and will start to darken after they start to feed on blood.  They will steadily get bigger, with the juvenile looking much like a smaller adult.  They need to have a “blood meal” between each of these growth stages.  A “feeding” will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes.  The bed bug saliva has properties that keep a person from feeling the pain of the bite and to keep the blood from clotting.  Some people will have no reaction to the bite, while others will begin to itch around the bite marks.  In some cases, a person will develop an allergic reaction.  Some people can take a couple of weeks before they start to react to the bites.  The most common signs on the skin are red, itchy, slightly raised bumps in the skin.  They can appear to be a rash that has formed on the skin like hives.

Bed bugs will most commonly be found along the mattress seams near a wall.  If they’ve been there for a few months, there will likely be a mix of adults, juveniles, and while eggs/nymphs along the seams.  There will be dark brown or black spots along the mattress where the bed bugs defecate the digested blood.  Bed bugs are not normally seen during the day and try to stay hidden until it is dark and they sense a person or animal they can feed from nearby.  While the bed is the most common spot to find them, they can also be found in other furniture, electrical sockets, loose wallpaper, and carpet.

If found, contacting a licensed exterminator is recommended.  Even with a professional involved, it will take come effort to ensure the problem is resolved.  Do not move the mattress through the house without first enclosing it into a sealed bag to ensure you do not spread them throughout the home.  Getting special mattress and box spring covers meant to trap the bed bugs already in the box springs/mattress and to keep others out, can allow you to keep the bed until you can feel confident that the trapped bugs are dead.  Keep in mind that bed bugs typically live between 6 months to a year.

Bed bugs are very resistant to most insecticides.  Most treatment methods are more physical.  Special heat treatments are very effective, but can be costly.  If an item (clothing, bed cloths, stuffed animals) can safely go into a dryer, then running the dryer on high for thirty (30) minutes can kill the bugs.  If an item cannot be placed in a dryer or discarded, then sealing it in an air tight bag or container for a year should work.  Regular vacuum cleaning can help pick up both eggs, nymphs, and adults, but make sure to empty the contents in a sealed bag and placed in an outside trash can.  Steam cleaning the carpet is also recommended.

To avoid getting bed bugs, avoid used furniture unless it has been inspected and determined to be safe.  Inspect recently purchased clothes around the seams for signs of bed bugs.  When traveling, check the mattress around the headboard for signs of bed bugs.  Don’t leave your luggage on the bed or furniture.  Use the luggage rack.  When you return home, put your luggage into a bathtub and inspect it carefully.  Try to keep contained until the clothes can be washed and dried.

For more information, call 208-455-5400.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes are well known for transmitting diseases to people and other animals.  Mosquitoes main diet is actually nectar from flowers.  However, the female mosquito requires a blood meal to acquire a protein source for her eggs.  Mosquitoes lay their eggs in static water or in damp areas that will later be flooded.  Once conditions are good, the egg will hatch out and go through several larval stages.  The larva feeds on organic matter and microorganisms in the water.  They must remain near the surface of the water for the majority of time in order to breath oxygen.  They can dive for short periods of time.  If the water is moving sufficiently, then the larva could drown.  Once they have fed and molted several times, the adult mosquito will emerge.  Mosquitoes will feed on mammals, birds, crocodiles, and amphibians.

One way to control mosquitoes is to deprive them of a place to lay their eggs.  This could be draining plant saucers, bird baths, basically anything that would hold water for at least a week.  Keep house gutters cleaned out and make sure covers over boats or other items are not holding water.  If they don’t have static water to lay their eggs, they will move on.  Just remember it doesn’t take much water.  A small pop can with water in it can still allow for hundreds of mosquitoes to grow into adulthood.

If eliminating the water source is not possible, then look for ways to make it unusable.  A pond with a fountain that keeps the water from being static will drown the mosquitoes.  Fish will also eat the mosquito larva.  Keep pools in good condition with the filters continually cycling the water.

Another possibility is adding a larvacide to the water.  Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis or Bti, is a naturally occurring bacterium that was found to kill mosquito larva when it was eaten.  It is widely used and has not been found to be dangerous to other forms of life.  Mosquito Abatement Districts regularly use this to help control mosquitoes.  It can come in several different forms, including granules, liquid, and donut-shaped “dunks”.  There is also a larvacide called methoprene.  It is an insect growth regulator that will keep the mosquito from becoming a fully functional adult.  Both are found regularly in retail stores that carry pest control and garden products.

Once the mosquitoes become adults, they are much harder to control.  If you live inside a mosquito abatement district, contact them and ask for their assistance.  If you don’t want them to spray a pesticide to control the mosquitoes, you can still discuss any alternative options.  If you do not live inside a mosquito abatement district, then you can contact a pest control company.  You cannot allow the pesticide to drift off your property onto another’s property unless they agree to it.  Because of this, wind speed and direction is very important.  There are also “barrier” sprays that can be applied to the undersides of leaves where mosquitoes typically rest during the day.

Personal Protection

Use a repellent when you are spending time outdoors, especially in the evening, early morning, and overcast days.  Only spray exposed skin and clothes and wash the repellent off once you are back indoors.  Do not use on a child’s hands to keep them from ingesting the chemical.  Do not spray the repellent onto the face.  Spray it on your hands and then pat it on the face.  Permethrin can be sprayed on tents or clothes (allow to dry prior to wearing), but do not spray it on yourself or others directly.

Try and keep mosquitoes out of your home by keeping window and door screens in place and in good condition.  If you are unable to keep mosquitoes from entering the home, consider mosquito netting about beds and cribs.

Most mosquitoes are active on overcast days, in shady areas, and at dusk/dawn.  There are some species that can be active during the day.

If you have questions, please contact 208-455-5400. If you live inside a mosquito abatement district, please contact them.

Mosquito Abatement Districts located within SWDH boundaries

The Mosquito Abatement Districts are taxing districts whose purpose is to control mosquitoes inside their boundaries. Some of the districts have also included other vectors (disease carrying arthropods
like ticks) and other insects of concern (like black flies).

Canyon County Mosquito Abatement District
Phone: 208.461.8633
Website: http://canyoncountymosquito.com/index.php

Gem County Mosquito Abatement District
Note: parts of Gem County are not located inside the abatement district borders, please check your annual tax records or their website to determine if you are inside the district.
Phone: 208.365.5628
Website: http://gcmad.org/

Payette County Mosquito Abatement District
Phone: 208.642.6835
Website: https://payettecounty.org/other-resources/mosquito-abatement

Idaho Mosquito and Vector Control Association
http://www.imvca.net/.
The IMVCA is a good resource for people looking to form a mosquito abatement district in their area.
You can also find contact information for all the mosquito abatement districts in Idaho at this site.

Idaho Statutes concerning Abatement Districts
https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title39/t39ch28/