Number of Iowans sickened by insects rose in 2013

DES MOINES - New data from state health officials confirm what some Iowans already knew: insects make them sick.

Diseases spread via insects significantly impacted Iowans in 2013, according to the latest report on disease surveillance issued by the Iowa Department of Public Health. The yearly report provides a snapshot of what, how, and when events affect the public's health, agency officials said.

In 2013, there was a notable number of insect-borne diseases reported to state health officials, including Dengue fever, Lyme disease, malaria, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and West Nile virus. Of that list, Lyme disease and West Nile virus increased when compared to the previous three-year average.

'We expect to see an increase in imported insect-borne diseases in the future,” said Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, the department's medical director.

'Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne disease that has become common in the Caribbean and Iowans who vacation and are bit by an infected mosquito there can come home and become ill,” she said. 'If you're traveling to areas outside the U.S., it's important to know what diseases are circulating there and how to protect yourself against them.”

Also last year, health officials noted that more than 71,000 laboratory results of infectious diseases and conditions were submitted to the state agency's disease surveillance programs.

In general, the number of reported cases of vaccine-preventable diseases decreased when compared to the previous three-year average (2010-2012); however, the number of reported Hepatitis A cases increased.

During the summer of 2013, Quinlisk noted that 136 Iowans from 35 counties were diagnosed with Cyclosporiasis as part of a multistate outbreak linked to consumption of a bagged salad mix. Cyclospora is a rare parasite that can cause prolonged, watery diarrhea, which, if left untreated, can last weeks to months.

Only 10 cases of Cyclospora had been reported in Iowa before 2013, health officials said. Cases increased by nearly 315 percent last year. In addition to the Cyclospora outbreak, 59 other outbreaks affecting more than 1,100 people were reported and investigated in 2013.

The most-common implicated pathogen was norovirus, and outbreaks occurred most frequently in restaurants, long-term care/assisted living facilities, schools/child care facilities, and homes.

Other significant elements of note in the 2013 report included an increase in enteric or diarrheal diseases, which are typically associated with contaminated food or water.

The 2013 Iowa Surveillance of Notifiable and Other Diseases Report can be found at the http://bit.ly/1uZMudv link on the health agency's website.

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