From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Health officials in northeastern Wisconsin are warning the public to guard against mosquito bites after West Nile virus was recently found in Brown County.
Brown County Public Health, the De Pere Health Department and the Oneida Nation Health Department today issued the warning after both a human and equine case of the virus were confirmed in the area. The release notes this is the year’s first case of West Nile virus in a person, though officials say they’re likely not connected.
Anna Nick, health officer and administrator for the county’s public health department, notes anyone can get sick if infected with the virus. But older adults, those with certain chronic medical conditions and those with weakened immune systems have a higher risk of severe illness.
The virus can’t spread directly between horses and people, and is instead transmitted by mosquitos, suggesting mosquitos in the area are carrying it and could spread it further.
To reduce the risk of infection, De Pere Health Officer Chrystal Woller suggests targeting the insect’s habitats, noting mosquitos need water to breed.
“Get rid of potential mosquito breeding grounds by draining anything in your yard that collects water or allows even a small amount of standing water,” Woller said in today’s release. “Think about bird baths, flowerpots, tire swings, clogged gutters on your house, and yard debris that might allow water to collect.”
While the virus doesn’t cause symptoms for most people, it can cause mild, flu-like symptoms up to 14 days after being bitten. Less than 1% of cases lead to severe illness that requires hospitalization, according to details from the CDC.
See more on the virus in Wisconsin from the state Department of Health Services.
See the release below.
— State health officials have identified a case of the measles in Marathon County that’s unrelated to the ongoing outbreak in southwestern Wisconsin.
DHS and the Marathon County Health Department today announced they have confirmed the county resident has measles and was exposed during out-of-state travel. The agencies say the investigation is ongoing as officials seek to inform those who may have been exposed, though no public exposure locations have yet been identified.
Wisconsin has now had at least 164 measles cases so far this year, with all but one occurring among unvaccinated people. Five cases have led to hospitalization, according to the DHS measles webpage.
— Attorney General Josh Kaul is among the state officials suing the Trump administration over a new rule that would allow immigration officers to deny green cards to legal immigrants for using programs like Medicaid.
The proposed rule would expand the “public charge” rule to allow immigration officers to deny a visa or green card to applicants who receive nearly any means-tested public benefit or have family members who receive benefits.
The current rule is principally targeted at cash assistance programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Security Income payments.
Democratic officials from 22 states and the District of Columbia and the appointed, officially nonpartisan attorney general of Hawaii argue in their complaint that the rule will cause immigrant families to disenroll from benefits to which they are legally entitled.
Plaintiffs filed their complaint yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
“Like so much of the Trump administration’s approach to immigration, this rule would foster fear and uncertainty rather than a more coherent, consistent system,” Kaul said in a statement.
See the release below.
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