Wheeling - Ohio County Health Department Story Archives

Cluster of HIV Cases Reported in West Virginia

Health officials in a northern West Virginia community are expressing concern about an increase in HIV cases.

The Intelligencer reports Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department administrator Howard Gamble said six cases of the human immunodeficiency virus have been reported in Ohio County so far this year.

Gamble said the cases are classified as a cluster because they have a similar location and time frame. He said they don’t have a common source, but all are linked to intravenous drug use and prostitution.

Gamble said the cases are of concern because it could result in an outbreak if testing, prevention and education aren’t enhanced.

He said the area had two new cases of HIV reported in 2015 and three new cases reported in 2016. No new cases were reported last year.

Organizers Want to Make Naloxone More Accessible

Community leaders will come together to discuss ways to make naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, more available.

The Intelligencer reports the Ohio County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and Wheeling-Ohio County health officer Dr. William Mercer will bring key community stakeholders together Wednesday in Wheeling.

Representatives from health care, pharmacies, treatment centers and schools in Ohio and Marshall counties are expected to attend the meeting.

Mercer says organizers are working to issue naloxone in nasal spray form to various community organizations. Naloxone kits also could be distributed to first responders, law enforcement, Ohio County schools nurses and to family members who receive training on how to administer the drug.

Organizers believe greater access to the kits will decrease the number of drug-related deaths.

Ohio County Ready to Establish Needle Exchange

The Wheeling-Ohio County Board of Health has voted unanimously to establish a county-operated needle exchange program.

Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department Director Howard Gamble tells local media that the program, conducted in partnership with Northwood Health System, could open as early as Friday, thanks to the Tuesday vote.

The new health regulation establishes a one-for-one exchange, in which a person could turn in one used needle and receive one sterile syringe at no cost from a health department employee. Northwood Health System’s Eoff Street facility will be used as the exchange site one day a week.

An increase in drug use in the community and in needles being discarded improperly prompted officials to consider a safe exchange program.

Cabell County launched the state’s first needle exchange program earlier this month.

Ohio River Algae Dissipating; W.Va., Ohio Monitoring

The algae that turned the waters of the Ohio River a bluish green is dissipating amid cooler temperatures and rain.

While a health advisory remains in effect, an official with the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department says the river is showing clearing and considerably less algae.

Administrator Howard Gamble told the Wheeling Intelligencer-News-Register the river continues to be monitored by several organizations, including Ohio and West Virginia environmental officials.

Gamble said that while the waters are clearing, there has not been a definitive report that the bloom of blue-green algae has completely left local sections of the river.

He said public drinking water supplied by the Wheeling water department continues to be safe to drink.

Algae Blooms Discovered Near Wheeling

Boaters and swimmers have been advised to use caution during activities on the Ohio River following the discovery of more blue-green algae blooms.

The Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department re-issued a health advisory after algae blooms were found on Wednesday near the back channel of Wheeling Island and near McMahon Creek.

The health advisory initially was issued after water tests on Aug. 19 showed elevated levels of blue-green algae at the Pike Island Lock and Dam. Wheeling closed its water intake and operated with wells through Aug. 21.

The city will monitor water taken from the river but doesn’t plan to close the intakes because of the latest algae blooms.