Monongalia County Health Department Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Staying Safe In Dangerous Heat

Prolonged exposure to these temperatures can cause complications ranging from muscle cramping and lightheadedness to heat stroke in extreme cases.

Heat and humidity are combining across the state to create dangerous conditions outdoors.

The heat index in some parts of West Virginia reached into the triple digits Thursday afternoon, with temperatures expected to go higher Friday and Saturday.

The heat index combines both air temperature and relative humidity into a single value that indicates the apparent temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, or how hot the weather will feel.

The West Virginia Emergency Management Division announced Wednesday that State and local agencies are on high alert to respond to any heat-related emergencies that may arise.

Dr. Lee Smith, the physician director and county health officer for the Monongalia County Health Department, said prolonged exposure to these temperatures can cause complications ranging from muscle cramping and lightheadedness to heat stroke in extreme cases.

“You should try to avoid the heat,” he said. “Take a lesson from those countries that traditionally have a lot of heat. They have siesta, which is a way to get people out of the heat of the day. You can resume your activities later on in the evening.”

Smith said staying hydrated is an often overlooked necessity in hot conditions, not only with water but with electrolytes as well. He also recommended wearing loose-fitting, comfortable clothing.

“It’s easy to do, (people) wait until they’re thirsty to drink. You really need to try and keep well hydrated, that keeps things moving through the body,” he said. “If you’re doing activities, if your job requires you to be out in the sun, you should be taking things with electrolytes in them because we don’t want you just hydrating with water. You need the potassium and the chlorides and the phosphorus and all that stuff to keep your muscles from cramping.”

High heat events are an important time to check in on elderly relatives and neighbors who, along with young children and individuals with pre-existing health conditions, are more susceptible to the heat.

“In the elderly it’s because many times they’re on medications that make them more susceptible and the young, their metabolism is somewhat different than an adult and they’re more susceptible to heat type of issues,” Smith said. “People need to be aware that they should never leave their pets, their animals or their children inside a car on these hot days because it will heat up hotter inside the car.”

The National Weather Service’s outlook for July 27 through July 29, 2023.

Distribution Of COVID-19 Deaths Uneven Across W.Va.

Earlier this week, West Virginia surpassed 7,500 COVID-19 deaths. But the virus has not had an equal impact everywhere. Across the country, some states and communities continue to be harder hit by the pandemic than others, and West Virginia is no exception — even varying by county.

Earlier this week, West Virginia surpassed 7,500 COVID-19 deaths. But the virus has not had an equal impact everywhere.

Across the country, some states and communities continue to be harder hit by the pandemic than others, and West Virginia is no exception — even varying by county.

Kanawha County is the largest in the state, with more than 180,000 residents. That’s roughly 10 percent of West Virginia’s population, and, as would be expected, the county makes up about 10 percent of the state’s COVID-19 deaths.

For the most part, bigger counties around the state have more deaths, proportional to their size. The same goes for smaller counties and fewer deaths. But there are a few outliers.

One of the biggest outliers is Monongalia County, which accounts for just under 6 percent of the state’s population, but less than 3 percent of all deaths in West Virginia.

“In COVID, we found that probably the single greatest risk factor, especially early in the disease with the Wuhan strain, of a predictor of mortality was age,” Dr. Steven Eshenaur, health officer for the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, said. “The older you are, the worse this disease is on you.”

Eshenaur points to the significant difference in the age of Kanawha and Monongalia counties’ populations as a likely explanation for the discrepancies in death rates.

“Kanawha County has 21.6 percent of our population that is over 65,” he said. “Mon County has 13.5 percent of its population over age 65. It’s almost half.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans age 55 and older account for 90 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in the country.

CDC data also shows that the risk for death from COVID-19 grows dramatically as age goes up. Compared to 18-29 year-olds, 40 to 49 year-olds are 10 times more likely to die from COVID-19. For those aged 50 to 65, they are 25 times more likely.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that older populations are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 deaths.

Dr. Lee Smith is the health officer and director of the Monongalia County Health Department, and has led the county’s pandemic response for the past two-and-a-half years.

“Right now, we have [the] total number of deaths, [the] total number of cases,” Smith said. “The areas that we don’t have right now is how many of the people who contracted COVID were smokers, were elderly. We know that those are the at-risk populations.”

Smith cautions drawing conclusions from what he calls an incomplete picture. He said it may be years before we understand how and why COVID-19 impacted communities differently, if ever.

“Public health is going to be studying COVID probably for the next decade, if not more,” he said. “We saw that this impacted the elderly more at the beginning. So I think that it’s a worthy line of inquiry because this is going to be a cumulative knowledge built up over time.”

One thing that both health officers can agree on is the impact of vaccines on the pandemic and deaths. Eshenaur calls vaccines the single most effective tool we have to protect individuals, but the statewide rate of distribution for booster shots is at just 32 percent.

Smith said he can relate to the public’s COVID-19 fatigue.

“I think that because of COVID fatigue, many people are wanting just to not consider it anymore, and I certainly understand that because our staff is as fatigued as anyone with COVID,” Smith said. “But it hasn’t gone away completely. It was said early on, ‘My mask protects you, your mask protects me, my vaccine protects you, my, your vaccine protects me.’ I think that if we can move beyond the politics, and get to a point where we’re doing this as a community, that’s going to be the better position.”

COVID-19 fatigue and vaccine complacency could spell trouble in the coming weeks and months, as COVID-19 begins to interact with other respiratory viruses that surge with colder weather.

“We are moving into, the buzzword now is a ‘tridemic’ of flu, RSV, and COVID all potentially hitting their peak this fall,” Eshenaur said. “It could be very bad, especially when you see people that get concomitant illnesses, that is they get two illnesses at the same time, like flu and COVID, or RSV and COVID together.”

COVID-19 deaths are slowing in West Virginia, and that may be causing some people to let their guard down, but vaccine hesitancy combined with flu and RSV outbreaks could spell a long winter for the state.

Restaurant Worker Contracts Hepatitis A In Northern W.Va.

Health officials say a restaurant worker in northern West Virginia has contracted hepatitis A.

The Monongalia County Health Department says in a news release the worker at the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Morgantown was potentially contagious between Sept. 30 and Oct. 16.

The statement says while the risk of contracting hepatitis A from a food worker is low, vaccinations are being offered to people who consumed food at the restaurant within the past two weeks.

Hepatitis A is a virus that infects the liver and is spread through food, water and objects tainted by feces, or through close contact.

Infection can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says West Virginia has had more than 2,500 hepatitis A cases since last year.

Raccoon Tests Positive for Rabies in West Virginia

Health officials say a raccoon has tested positive for rabies in West Virginia.

According to news outlets, the Monongalia County Health Department says the raccoon was found Monday in the National area of the county. Tests confirmed the disease in the animal.

It marks the county’s first confirmed case of rabies this year. Pet owners are being advised to make sure their dogs and cats are vaccinated for rabies, seal garbage cans tightly and to avoid animals they are unfamiliar with.

Public Health Task Force to Meet in Morgantown

State officials are meeting again in a push to redefine the mission of public health in West Virginia.

The Bureau for Public Health will hold another meeting of the public health impact task force Wednesday afternoon.

The group will hear presentations on the future of public health, survey results and work by the panel’s subgroups.

The task force includes members of the Bureau for Public Health, local health departments, private and public partner organizations and policymakers. It was authorized by Dr. Rahul Gupta, the state’s health officer.

The task force will recommend structural and organizational changes for the state’s public health system to work more effectively with communities.

The meeting at the Monongalia County Health Department in Morgantown is open to the public.