From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Health officials have identified this year’s first human case of West Nile virus in Wisconsin and are warning residents to reduce their exposure to mosquitos, which spread the disease.
Since the state Department of Health Services began tracking the disease in 2001, the state sees about 18 reported cases per year on average. But Rebecca Osborn, the agency’s vector borne disease epidemiologist, says nearly 80% of those infected with West Nile virus will never know as they won’t develop symptoms.
Speaking today during a DHS online briefing, Osborn said people who become infected will develop immunity to future infections. She said it’s unclear why some develop symptoms while others don’t, though elderly people and those with compromised immune systems are at greater risk.
“It is rare, thankfully, in Wisconsin,” she said. “But unfortunately, when people do get sick, sometimes it can be very serious. So we just want to make sure that that message is very clear, and the ways to prevent mosquito bite can be fairly straightforward and pretty routine, and pretty achievable for most people.”
The state’s first human case of 2025 was detected in a man in his 60s in Barron County, Osborn said. DHS reports mosquitos collected in Lafayette and Milwaukee counties have also tested positive for the virus.
Seeing the first case of the year in July is “fairly average,” though others have been reported as early as June. Cases have been reported between June and November, but most people that report illness from the infection do so in August and September.
The West Nile virus can cause fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, rash and fatigue, while more serious cases can include stiff kneck, disorientation, mental confusion and even seizure and coma, according to DHS.
The agency says the best way to avoid getting sick is to reduce exposure to mosquito bites by using insect repellent, wearing long sleeves and pants to limit exposed skin, and rescheduling outdoor activities being held during peak mosquito times, in the early morning or early evening.
See the release below.
— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is touting federal legislation that aims to protect workers from heat illness amid “record-breaking heat waves” happening across the country.
Under the bill, OSHA would be required to create an enforceable federal standard to protect workers in hot environments. The announcement references “commonsense measures” like providing paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, limitations on the duration of heat exposure and emergency responses for workers with heat-related illness.
Last year was the warmest on record for the United States, the Madison Dem noted in a release Friday, referencing figures from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. She pointed to a recent study from the nonprofit Climate Center showing “extreme” heat streaks have become more likely in Wisconsin in recent years.
Milwaukee has seen an increase of 3.4 degrees over the last half-century or so, the study shows. Other cities in the state including Wausau, Green Bay, Madison, La Crosse and Eau Claire have seen increases ranging from 1.6 degrees to 2.8 degrees over the same period.
“Far too many of our workers are being pushed to the brink in dangerous heat conditions — it’s wrong, and they deserve the dignity to be protected,” Baldwin said in a statement.
Plus, the legislation would direct employers to offer worker training on risk factors for heat illness and how to deal with symptoms.
The bill is called the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act, referencing the 2004 death of 53-year-old Valdivia, who died from heat stroke after working for 10 hours in 105-degree conditions.
That’s just one example, the release notes, as heat stress injuries have killed 815 American workers and seriously injured more than 70,000 between 1992 and 2017. Agriculture and construction are the industries with the highest rates of heat illness.
Baldwin’s office charges the “failure to implement simple heat safety measures” has cost U.S. employers about $100 billion per year in lost productivity.
See the release below and the bill text.
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