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89 cases in 35 years. Yeah, we're all freaking out here about it. I have a better chance of getting hit by lightning twice than being infected with HantaVirus. There are many more things to be concerned about.
It's NOT 89 cases in 35 years!
Even the New Mexico Health Department & CDC admitted that, "HPS was first recognized in 1993 and has since been identified throughout the United States."
The real data is from 1993 - 2010. They didn't even keep track of it until they first discovered it in 1993. It wasn't even discovered until 1993, so any data from 1975 - 1992 is purely a shot in the dark & an attempt to downplay the stats.
Plus one can't neglect the point that 50% of all HantaVirus cases are NEVER reported or misdiagnosed. You can easily add 50% to that number of HantaVirus cases in New Mexico to make it 133 cases. That is a CONSERVATIVE estimate, some even say that the more accurate number is double the reported number, which would make 178 cases+ in New Mexico in the past 8 years.
For 2011:
“While cases of Hantavirus are uncommon, the five cases we have had this year serve as a reminder of the importance in following our prevention guidelines to keep all New Mexicans safe and reduce their risk of being exposed to infected mice,” said Department of Health Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Catherine Torres.
So REALISTICALLY you have 178 cases of HantaVirus in New Mexico in the past 8 years. You must realize that true number is within the stats but one has to search for it. It is not uncommon for things like this to be downplayed. Especially since the CDC and NMHD admitted that the HantaVirus was not even discovered here in the USA until 1993.
Even the New Mexico Health Department & CDC admitted that, "HPS was first recognized in 1993 and has since been identified throughout the United States."
The real data is from 1993 - 2010. They didn't even keep track of it until they first discovered it in 1993. It wasn't even discovered until 1993, so any data from 1975 - 1992 is purely a shot in the dark & an attempt to downplay the stats.
Plus one can't neglect the point that 50% of all HantaVirus cases are NEVER reported or misdiagnosed. You can easily add 50% to that number of HantaVirus cases in New Mexico to make it 133 cases. That is a CONSERVATIVE estimate, some even say that the more accurate number is double the reported number, which would make 178 cases+ in New Mexico in the past 8 years.
For 2011:
“While cases of Hantavirus are uncommon, the five cases we have had this year serve as a reminder of the importance in following our prevention guidelines to keep all New Mexicans safe and reduce their risk of being exposed to infected mice,” said Department of Health Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Catherine Torres.
So REALISTICALLY you have 178 cases of HantaVirus in New Mexico in the past 8 years. You must realize that true number is within the stats but one has to search for it. It is not uncommon for things like this to be downplayed. Especially since the CDC and NMHD admitted that the HantaVirus was not even discovered here in the USA until 1993.
Seriously, again. If you're that obsessed by this, stay away. There are many, many more things to be concerned about. I have no problem with mice, and I'm sure those that do take the proper preventative measures. It's probably more likely that I get robbed at crossbow point by a two headed lawn dwarf than I contract HV.
I was told that New Mexico, particularly the areas around Santa Fe have the highest amount of HantaVirus cases in the USA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DellNec
How do people living in rural areas like Santa Fe deal with this problem?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poncho_NM
In over 30 years (1975 to 2010) there has only been three cases of Hantavirus in Santa Fe county.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DellNec
It's NOT 89 cases in 35 years!
Quote:
Originally Posted by DellNec
It wasn't even discovered until 1993, so any data from 1975 - 1992 is purely a shot in the dark & an attempt to downplay the stats.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DellNec
You can easily add 50% to that number of HantaVirus cases in New Mexico to make it 133 cases. That is a CONSERVATIVE estimate,
Quote:
Originally Posted by DellNec
There have been five reported cases of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in New Mexico in 2011.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DellNec
So REALISTICALLY you have 178 cases of HantaVirus in New Mexico in the past 8 years.
I believe you are a bit confused with the City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County and the entire state of New Mexico. You posted in the Santa Fe forum...
The five reported cases of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in New Mexico in 2011 were not in City of Santa Fe or Santa Fe County they appear to have been in McKinley County.
I don't know what your qualifications are to make conservative estimates, but I am not going to argue that issue. You can believe whatever you wish.
Rich
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 05-09-2012 at 09:23 PM..
We were teaching on the Navajo reservation when hanta hit in '93. It was very scary then, since it was such an unknown & healthy people were dying. The scariest was the runner up in the forest by Cuba. But soon the connection was publicized. An interesting aside, there seemed to be a correlation between the pinon cycle & the increase in deer mice. Most of us out there quickly got to know what a deer mouse even looks like! We also learned, if there were mice droppings, to squirt down with bleach first, wearing a respirator mask.
Poor ol' McKinley county- we had the highest hantavirus rates in the country as well as the highest drunken driving rates.
We have a place above Santa Fe in the mountains & we do not have deer mice up here at all, although when we got mouse droppings in our shed we sure followed the above technique.
We were teaching on the Navajo reservation when hanta hit in '93. It was very scary then, since it was such an unknown & healthy people were dying. The scariest was the runner up in the forest by Cuba. But soon the connection was publicized. An interesting aside, there seemed to be a correlation between the pinon cycle & the increase in deer mice. Most of us out there quickly got to know what a deer mouse even looks like! We also learned, if there were mice droppings, to squirt down with bleach first, wearing a respirator mask.
Poor ol' McKinley county- we had the highest hantavirus rates in the country as well as the highest drunken driving rates.
We have a place above Santa Fe in the mountains & we do not have deer mice up here at all, although when we got mouse droppings in our shed we sure followed the above technique.
I am surprised that no cure has been found in the past 20 years.
How do they work out there when it is so dusty and there are deer mice everywhere? Most of the homes in the Navajo Nation are poorly built and are a haven for mice. It's next to impossible to stop them from coming inside the home.
They called the HantaVirus the "poverty virus" because it struck the hardest in areas where people could not keep the mice out of their homes.
We have a place above Santa Fe in the mountains & we do not have deer mice up here at all, although when we got mouse droppings in our shed we sure followed the above technique.
I knew about Hantavirus when I moved to NM in the late 1990s, but never worried about it since I never saw mice - until I did!
Just once in the last 15 years - in the fall - there was an infestation of them in my locale. I had them everywhere, both inside and outside my house in storage sheds, crawl space under the house, attic space etc. Since that one time, and taking care of the problem at that time, I've not seen another one and the poison bait I still keep set around hasn't been touched again.
My point being that perhaps the mice go through peak cycles like so many other animals and insects? Or perhaps something caused them to migrate from elsewhere that one time?
The statistics only show where people got diagnosed with hantavirus, not where they contracted it. I know that some of the figures from other states were people who had visited parts of New Mexico. Even the New Mexico county figures don't tell you where people contracted the virus. I've heard of people who had family in McKinley County that they visited and contracted the virus while helping sweep up their houses, then went home to another county and got sick. I've been told that no infected mice have been detected in Bernalillo County, and that all the cases here were people who contracted the virus somewhere else. Maybe this has changed since I was told that, I don't know for sure. I don't know if the same could be true for Santa Fe County.
West Nile virus has infected and killed lots more people on the east coast.
Back in '93 when the breakout occurred there was so correlation drawn between the high pinon years and the increase in deer mice, thus peak cycles.
Quote:
Originally Posted by joqua
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My point being that perhaps the mice go through peak cycles like so many other animals and insects?
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