Wyoming Chapter
Association of Records Managers and Administrators
 Chapter Meeting November 13, 2003
Hitching Post Inn
1700 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY

Members Present: Kristy Anderson, Vicci Carter, Ramona Christensen, Donna Crock, Wendy Kinkade, Vicki Seals, Tony Adams, Dolores Crock, Deanne Widauf, and Paula Sutton

Speaker: Gus Lopez, Director City-County Health Department

Mr. Lopez has been employed with the City-County Health Department for over 33 years. He was a Health Inspector/Supervisor for the Environmental Health Division for 24 years and from 1996 to 2002, he was the Director. On October 15, 2002 Mr. Lopez became the Director of the City-County Health Department.

Topic: West Nile Virus

Kristy Anderson opened the meeting by introducing Gus Lopez, then everyone in attendance introduced themselves and gave where they were employed.

Mr. Lopez discussed the history of the West Nile Virus and stated it gets its name from the West Nile District in Uganda, where it originated. The virus made its debut in New York City, New York, where it first started showing up in birds.

Laramie County Department of Health met with the State Department of Health, Preventive Health Division in January, 2003 to develop a program and to get as much training and knowledge as they could on the virus. It was learned that only a specific mosquito carries the virus and it is transmitted by the female mosquito when she bites an animal, bird, or human. The incubation period is 9 to 15 days and blood donors are now tested for the virus. The virus is prevalent west of the Mississippi, north to Canada, and south to Mexico. The only states that did not have any reported cases were Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, and Washington.

Mr. Lopez learned that the State of Wyoming was offering a 50/50 grant to assist the various counties in developing preventive programs and to educate the public. Laramie County was awarded a $310,000 grant, which was used to identify trouble spots and make aerial applications of Bt1. Bt1 is a pesticide which attacks the mosquito larvae. The aerial crew covered 560 miles and followed drainage areas. The crew consisted of a pilot and 4 spotters to direct the pilot. The aerial team made 3 full applications. There was a ground crew that checked for mosquito activity and made applications in those areas that the aerial crew could not cover. Mr. Lopez ended his presentation by giving preventive information and advising what type of repellants to purchase. He said you want repellants with DEET in them and there are different percentages of DEET, so lower percentages could be used on babies, etc. He advised people to avoid going out during "peak" mosquito times (mornings and evenings) and wear long sleeves and pants if you do go outside during mosquito season.

Submitted by,

Vicci Carter
Chapter Secretary