At the beginning of 2012, the flu season seemed mild, and as the year progressed, dangerous outbreaks of Hantavirus, fungal meningitis, and the West Nile virus made appearances.
The meningitis outbreak ended with the deaths of 39 people and was eventually linked to contaminated steroid medication. The steroid was administered for the treatment of pain and inflammation, injected into the spine. The types of fungi present in some of the affected patients included exserohilum and aspergillus.
The weather encouraged the worst outbreak of West Nile virus since 2003, as well as an abnormal outbreak of Hantavirus in Yosemite National Park.
Hantavirus is a serious, sometimes deadly syndrome that affects the lungs. West Nile virus, on the other hand, can result in meningitis or encephalitis, or infection of the spinal cord and brain, or of the membrane that covers the brain.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), as of December 11, 5,387 cases of West Nile virus have been documented. The cases have been reported in 48 states and caused 243 deaths. The outbreak from 2003 resulted in 264 deaths among 10,000 registered cases.
The majority of cases from 2012 were in Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana – states with large mosquito populations.
Irregular weather exhibiting record high summer temperatures and frequent rainfall caused a rise in the number of mosquitoes, which spread the disease by biting animals and humans.
Only a small proportion of West Nile cases are officially reported because many people experience no symptoms and others only have common symptoms, such as a fever or aches and pains. Approximately one out of 150 cases of West Nile virus will progress into other diseases like encephalitis or meningitis.
This summer also brought with it the largest outbreak of Hantavirus in two decades. This illness is more common in dusty, dry environments, like Yosemite National Park. Hantavirus killed 10 infected visitors at this location.
The park sent out warnings to 22,000 people who could have been exposed to the illness – 91 Curry Village cabins in the park were closed during August.
The New England Compounding Center, located in Framingham, Massachusetts closed after officials found that it had sent thousands of tainted vials of methylprednisolone acetate to medical offices nationwide.
Over 14,000 people were alerted that they may have received a contaminated injection. Doctors are still seeing new cases of spinal infections caused by the steroid, as well as cases of achnoiditis, a swelling of nerve roots in the spine.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Thomas Frieden concludes, “While there are some trends we can predict, the most reliable trend is that the next threat will be unpredictable.”
Written by Kelly Fitzgerald