SECTION 4: RISK ASSESSMENT
highest rates of death. A second wave of infections occurred early the following year, which is typical of many pandemics. Hong Kong Flu (H3N2 virus) of 1968-1969 – This influenza pandemic was first detected in early 1968 in Hong Kong. The first cases in the United States were detected in September 1968, although widespread illness did not occur until December. This became the mildest pandemic of the twentieth century, with those over the age of 65 the most likely to die. People infected earlier by the Asian Flu virus may have developed some immunity against the Hong Kong Flu virus. Also, this pandemic peaked during school holidays in December, limiting student-related infections. Swine Flu (H1N1 virus) of 2009 – 2010 – This influenza pandemic emerged from Mexico in 2009. The first U.S. case of H1N1, or Swine Flu, was diagnosed on April 15, 2009. The U.S. government declared H1N1 a public health emergency on April 26. By June, approximately 18,000 cases of H1N1 had been reported in the United States. A total of 74 countries were affected by the pandemic. The CDC estimates that 43 million to 89 million people were infected with H1N1 between April 2009 and April 2010. There were an estimated 8,870 to 18,300 H1N1 related deaths. On August 10, 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the global H1N1 flu pandemic. OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS St. Louis Encephalitis, 1964-2005 – Between 1964 and 2005, there were 4,651 confirmed cases of SLE in the United States. Seventy-five of these cases were in Missouri. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there was one case of SLE in Missouri in 2006. It should be noted, however, that less than 1 percent of SLE infections are clinically apparent, so the vast majority of infections remain undiagnosed. Illnesses range from mild headaches and fever to convulsions, coma, and paralysis. The last major outbreak of SLE occurred in the Midwest from 1974 to 1977, when over 2,500 cases were reported in 35 states. The most recent outbreak of St. Louis encephalitis was in 1999 in New Orleans, Louisiana, with 20 reported cases. The disease is generally milder in children than in adults, with the elderly at highest risk for severe illness and death. Approximately 3 to 30 percent of cases are fatal; no vaccine against SLE exists. Lyme Disease, 2015 – In the United States, Lyme disease is mostly found in the northeastern, mid- Atlantic, and upper north-central regions, and in several counties in northwestern California. In 2015, 95- percent of confirmed Lyme Disease cases were reported from 14 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States. In 2015, it was the sixth most common nationally notifiable disease. However this disease does not occur nationwide and is concentrated heavily in the northeast and upper Midwest. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, 2003 – During November 2002-July 2003, a total of 8,098 probable SARS cases were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from 29 countries. In the United States, only 8 cases had laboratory evidence of infection. In North Carolina, there was one confirmed SARS case – a man in Orange County tested positive in June 2003. SARS transmission was declared contained in July 2003. Zika Virus, 2015 – In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization issued an alert noting the first confirmed case of a Zika virus infection in Brazil. Per the CDC, in 2015 and 2016, large outbreaks of Zika virus occurred in the Americas, resulting in an increase in travel-associated cases in US states, widespread transmission in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, and limited local transmission in Florida and Texas. In 2017, the number of Zika virus cases in the U.S. started to decline, and there have been no reports of Zika virus transmission by mosquitoes in the continental U.S. since 2018. Local transmission of Zika virus was not identified in North Carolina, through there were travel-related cases between 2016-2018.
Wake County, NC Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
WSP June 2024 Page 177
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator