• West Nile Virus • Kayak incident West Nile Virus The Hawai‘i state Department of Health and other agencies are trying to prevent West Nile Virus (WNV) from coming to Hawai‘i. WNV is a disease that is found in many
• West Nile Virus
• Kayak incident
West Nile Virus
The Hawai‘i state Department of Health and other agencies are trying to prevent West Nile Virus (WNV) from coming to Hawai‘i. WNV is a disease that is found in many parts of the world and, over the past five years, has spread rapidly to most states on the Mainland. This past Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that the test result from a blood sample taken from a live sparrow at the Kahului Airport a week earlier was negative.
West Nile Virus is a potentially serious illness of the nervous system, and affects mostly birds, horses, and humans. It usually cycles between mosquitoes and birds, and the mosquitoes can bite humans and animals and infect them. About 20 percent of the people who are infected may develop West Nile Fever, and less than 1 percent may develop a very serious neuroinvasive disease. There have been 1,821 cases of West Nile Virus reported across the Mainland this year, including 59 deaths.
Individuals can protect themselves from mosquitoes by wearing long pants and sleeves, using repellent that contains DEET, maintaining window and door screens to keep mosquitoes out, and by eliminating standing water to reduce mosquito-breeding grounds.
The public can help by calling 211 to find out where to drop off dead birds for testing. Should a bird or mosquito test positive for West Nile Virus, the DOH will begin spraying and treating standing water for mosquito larvae.
Art Tani
Public Health Educator
Hawai‘i state Department of Health
Kayak incident
On Friday, person (s) placed in jeopardy the lives of 28 to 30 persons. Have not the owners/operators of these two kayak companies been here for five or 10 years or longer? And do they not know about flash flooding in the area of where they were going? Was it not raining very heavily in the area where they were yesterday (Friday)? I believe that the area received more than five inches of rain in less than six hours. Does that not mean that the chances of a flash flood being substantially increased?
Do we need another headline of someone dying on this island or any of our islands because of a possible safety failure on the action of one person(s)? Isn’t it time for those in charge of safety, yes, that means our beloved and respected leaders (who only seem to care about waving) to step up? And where can you find them the rest of the year? Do we need more senseless deaths before our supposed leaders bring about “real rules and fines/imprisonment” if one is found to be guilty of negligence because of possibly greed and stupidity or other actions such as poor maintenance or not proper training?
Also, why cannot the state bill these companies for the costs involved in the rescue because of these owners’ greed and stupidity?
Incidentally, I am actively involved in the tour/activity business here on Kaua‘i, and find it a disgrace that for want of an extra few hundred dollars that lives maybe are placed in jeopardy.
Mike Eberle
Waimea
