Friday, August 31, 2012

Health Concern: New virus found in Missouri; ticks suspected


CNN Health


New virus found in Missouri; ticks suspected
August 30th, 2012
10:55 AM ET

It started with fever, fatigue,  diarrhea and loss of appetite.

But for two farmers in northwestern Missouri, the severe illness that followed a tick bite led epidemiologists on a journey to a new viral discovery.

"It's brand new to the world," said William Nicholson with the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"It's unique in that it's never been found elsewhere and it is the first phlebovirus found to cause illness in humans in the Western Hemisphere. At this point we don't know how widespread it may be, or whether it's found in other states. We don't know how many people in Missouri may have had this virus, as the finding of a completely new virus was a surprise to us."


Nicholson, one of the authors of the report detailing the two cases published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine, suspects the new virus is a member of the tick-borne phlebovirus and is a distant cousin to Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV), a virus found in central and northeastern China and known to cause death in 13 to 30% of patients.

There are more than 70 distinct viruses in the phlebovirus family, and they're grouped according to whether they are carried and transmitted by sandflies, mosquitoes or ticks.

"We're not saying at this point that it is tick-borne," Nicholson said. "We suspect ticks. It might be a lone star tick or another tick, but we have not ruled out sandflies or mosquitoes."

According to Nicholson, this new virus "clusters genetically" - or is very similar, yet distinct - to other tick-transmitted phleboviruses and more distantly with the sandfly and mosquitoes. Researchers identified it by genetically sequencing the entire genome of the virus and comparing it to existing viral genomes.

"We're casting a wide net so we can really figure out where this virus is located and how it's being transmitted," he said. "We are also going to be doing laboratory studies to learn more about the biology of the virus and how it might be transmitted."

One farmer was a healthy 57 year-old man; the other, a 67-year-old man with type II  diabetes. Recovery for both farmers was slow. Both were hospitalized for about two weeks in 2009, and took about a month and a half to recovery fully.

It's unknown whether this new virus can be transmitted from person to person, but no family members or caregivers reported symptoms similar to either patient.

At the moment, Nicholson said, there is no cause for concern. "I don't think anyone should be worried. We are not worried ... we are curious of what role the virus plays in human disease."

To that end, an epidemiological study is underway in western Missouri, where researchers hope to identify new patients with similar symptoms. For now, researchers will turn their attention to the large number of vertebrae hosts maintaining the virus in nature - mammals both wild and and domestic, as well as birds. In the fall, they will check out the deer and wild turkey population.

Tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the United States. And while this new disease might not be tick-borne, ticks are the number-one suspect. Nicholson says people should use repellent, check themselves for bites or ticks, and avoid certain areas - if possible - that might serve as good habitats for ticks, such as wooded areas and areas with fallen leaves.

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/08/30/new-virus-found-in-missouri-ticks-suspected/?hpt=hp_bn12


Thursday, August 30, 2012

Countdown to November 2012: Provisional Voting


Americans may find it surprising to learn that many eligible citizens in the United States are denied the right to cast ballots and have them counted on Election Day. The sad reality is that many voters are turned away from polls because their names do not appear on a list of registered voters, for a host of different reasons that may or may not be the responsibility of the individual voter.
To correct this problem, Congress enacted “fail-safe” provisional voting requirements in the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA), requiring election officials to provide provisional ballots to individuals who are not listed on the official list of registered voters. Once the appropriate election officials determine that the individual is indeed eligible to vote, the ballot is counted.
The results of this HAVA mandate have been mixed. In some situations, poll workers have failed to offer provisional ballots to voters at all. In cases where poll workers have actually offered ballots to voters, states have applied such varying methodologies for counting provisional ballots that the “fail-safe” mechanism under HAVA has been frustrated. For example, in the 2004 general election, 96% of provisional ballots were counted in Alaska, while only 6% were counted in Delaware. Similar disparities occurred in the 2006 general election: while Maine counted 100% of its provisional ballots, Kentucky counted less than 7%. Fifteen states rejected over 50% of their provisional ballots, and 20% of provisional ballots were rejected nationwide.

Why are Provisional Ballots Not Being Counted?

Despite the efforts of Congress to provide a “fail-safe” mechanism to enable registered citizens to vote, the prerogative of states to impose restrictions on provisional ballots prevents thousands of these ballots from being counted. Based on state surveys completed in the two general elections following the passage of HAVA, and reports addressing the implementation of the provisional ballot requirements of HAVA in different states, Project Vote has identified four principal reasons why provisional ballots are not being counted:
  1. Individuals are not actually registered to vote.
  2. Individuals are not casting their provisional ballots in the correct precinct or jurisdiction.
  3. Individuals are submitting incomplete or unsigned provisional ballots.
  4. Individuals are failing to provide sufficient identification.

Provisional Ballots Should Be Used on a Limited Basis

Due to the problems with ensuring that provisional ballots are counted, it is always better to minimize the use of provisional ballots and allow eligible voters to cast regular ballots. The easiest way to enable the largest number of potential voters to cast regular ballots is to allow Election Day Registration.

Recommendations

Once all avenues for casting a regular ballot have been exhausted, states must ensure that provisional ballots are offered and make every effort to count them. Reasonably simple solutions can be implemented to maximize the opportunity for provisional voters to be enfranchised. Project Vote has developed several policy recommendations based upon surveys conducted across the country, a review of state statues and existing literature, and experiences with recent federal elections:
  1. Allow Provisional Ballots to Be Counted on a Statewide or Countywide Basis.
  2. Provisional Ballots Should Be Designed to be Distinguishable from Regular Ballots, Easy to Read, and Should Serve as Voter Registration Applications
  3. States Should Give Voters Who Submit Provisional Ballots Additional Time to Correct or Supply Necessary Information
  4. Poll Workers Must Be Properly Trained to Administer Provisional Voting
For more information read Project Vote's Policy Brief on Provisional Voting here.