Department Confirms Four New West Nile Virus Cases in El Paso

The City of El Paso Department of Public Health is now investigating four new cases of West Nile virus. These latest confirmations bring the total number of cases to seven so far this year. They are:

 

          Patient    Age  Zip Code

1. Male       54    79935
2. Male       34    79912
3. Male       75    79915

1. Male       25    79936 (new)
2. Female   81    79907 (new)
3. Male       80    79905 (new)
4. Male       77    79915 (new)

“The current number of confirmed cases has reached the total number of cases we had in all of 2011,” said Michael Hill, Public Health Director. “We continue to ask that residents take precautions so that they are not bitten by mosquitoes, which is how this disease is transmitted,” he said.

Prevention

     The best way to avoid exposure to West Nile Virus is to practice the four Ds:

• use Insect repellents that contain DEET
• Drain any standing water
• Dress in long, loose and light-colored clothing and
• take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing from Dusk to Dawn.

 

To report standing water or mosquito breeding, call Environmental Services at (915) 599-6290.

 

Symptoms

• Serious Symptoms in a Few People. About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors,         convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.

• Milder Symptoms in Some People. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks.

• No Symptoms in Most People. Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.

 

For more information on West Nile virus, please visit the CDC website:

 

www.elpasotexas.gov/health/westnile.asp

 

or the CDC at:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factSheet.htm

Department Confirms Four New West Nile Virus Cases in El Paso

The City of El Paso Department of Public Health is now investigating four new cases of West Nile virus. These latest confirmations bring the total number of cases to seven so far this year. They are:

 

          Patient    Age  Zip Code

1. Male       54    79935
2. Male       34    79912
3. Male       75    79915

1. Male       25    79936 (new)
2. Female   81    79907 (new)
3. Male       80    79905 (new)
4. Male       77    79915 (new)

“The current number of confirmed cases has reached the total number of cases we had in all of 2011,” said Michael Hill, Public Health Director. “We continue to ask that residents take precautions so that they are not bitten by mosquitoes, which is how this disease is transmitted,” he said.

Prevention

     The best way to avoid exposure to West Nile Virus is to practice the four Ds:

• use Insect repellents that contain DEET
• Drain any standing water
• Dress in long, loose and light-colored clothing and
• take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing from Dusk to Dawn.

 

To report standing water or mosquito breeding, call Environmental Services at (915) 599-6290.

 

Symptoms

• Serious Symptoms in a Few People. About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors,         convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.

• Milder Symptoms in Some People. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks.

• No Symptoms in Most People. Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.

 

For more information on West Nile virus, please visit the CDC website:

 

www.elpasotexas.gov/health/westnile.asp

 

or the CDC at:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factSheet.htm

Labor Day Holiday Closings

City Hall will be closed on Monday, September 3, 2012 and will re-open Tuesday, September 4, 2012 at 7:00 a.m. 

Additionally, the September 4, 2012 City Council Meeting has been canceled.

All School disctricts will be closed

EPCC and UTEP will also be closed

El Paso land fill will be closed and no trash pick up

Banks, US Post Office will also be closed

 

The Community is Invited to the Minerpalooza Pep Rally

More than 30,000 UTEP fans are expected to participate in Minerpalooza, a back-to-school party and pep rally to pump up fans for the first football game of the season. The annual event is scheduled for 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, Aug. 31 on The University of Texas at El Paso campus. The event is open to the public. 

Rally highlights include an appearance by the 2011 NCA national champion UTEP cheer squad, live entertainment on two stages, inflatable obstacle courses, a Kids Zone, a beverage garden and Pete’s Pavilion. 

Friday also marks the University’s official re-launch of Orange Fridays. 

Everyone in El Paso, not just the UTEP community, is asked to show their University pride every Friday by sporting UTEP orange. Individuals who participate in Orange Fridays will receive special incentives and discounts from the UTEP Bookstore and food service venues.

“The Student Government Association launched Orange Fridays last year, but this year the students wanted to take the program to a whole new level,” said Catie McCorry-Andalis, associate vice president and dean of students. “The effort is to not only instill a sense of pride amongst faculty, staff and students, but to demonstrate this pride to the greater El Paso community.” 

On Saturday, Sept. 1, Miner fans can begin tailgating for the 8:30 p.m. season opening football game against the University of Oklahoma Sooners as early as 8 a.m. in outer campus parking lots. Inner campus lots open at 2 p.m. 

The Gameday Zone, a new tradition for UTEP this year, opens at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 1. Families are invited to join the University in Memorial Triangle to partake in a special pre-game tailgate for fans of all ages. 

Special features include the Coca Cola Family Fan Zone, a variety of games for children, inflatables, face painting and live music. 

Each home football game will have a Gameday Zone that will open four hours prior to kickoff. In addition, the zones will each have a different theme. Food vendors will coordinate their menu to each of these assigned themes. 

As fans begin to arrive at the Sun Bowl Stadium and settle in, they should keep an eye out for the Miner Run, another new feature of the 2012 football season. A team of energetic students will participate in a lively sprint across the football field signaling the arrival of the UTEP football team. 

Department Confirms Four New West Nile Virus Cases in El Paso

The City of El Paso Department of Public Health is now investigating four new cases of West Nile virus. These latest confirmations bring the total number of cases to seven so far this year. They are:

 

          Patient    Age  Zip Code

 

1. Male       54    79935
2. Male       34    79912
3. Male       75    79915

 

1. Male       25    79936 (new)
2. Female   81    79907 (new)
3. Male       80    79905 (new)
4. Male       77    79915 (new)

 

“The current number of confirmed cases has reached the total number of cases we had in all of 2011,” said Michael Hill, Public Health Director. “We continue to ask that residents take precautions so that they are not bitten by mosquitoes, which is how this disease is transmitted,” he said.

 

Prevention

     The best way to avoid exposure to West Nile Virus is to practice the four Ds:

• use Insect repellents that contain DEET
• Drain any standing water
• Dress in long, loose and light-colored clothing and
• take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing from Dusk to Dawn.

 

To report standing water or mosquito breeding, call Environmental Services at (915) 599-6290.

 

Symptoms

• Serious Symptoms in a Few People. About one in 150 people infected with WNV will develop severe illness. The severe symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors,         convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis. These symptoms may last several weeks, and neurological effects may be permanent.

• Milder Symptoms in Some People. Up to 20 percent of the people who become infected have symptoms such as fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days, though even healthy people have become sick for several weeks.

• No Symptoms in Most People. Approximately 80 percent of people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with WNV will not show any symptoms at all.

 

For more information on West Nile virus, please visit the CDC website:

 

www.elpasotexas.gov/health/westnile.asp

 

or the CDC at:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factSheet.htm