CDC looks into local pertussis cases

An unusually high amount of local pertussis cases with unusual symptoms has caught the attention of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. San Juan Basin Health Department announced Tuesday that a CDC team arrived in Durango and will be here for the next several weeks investigating the local outbreak of pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

La Plata County had 101 cases of reported pertussis from December 2008 - July 31, 2009, accounting for a significant proportion of the cases statewide. However, many of the local cases included mild symptoms without the “whooping” type cough that often comes with pertussis. Due to the high number of cases and atypical symptoms, and the fact that cases continue to be reported, a request was submitted to CDC by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Aug. 7 to investigate the illness locally.

The four-member CDC team will be looking at past cases as well as new cases. They also will be interviewing individuals who had laboratory-confirmed pertussis on the symptoms they had. Additionally, the team is working with health-care providers to have patients seeking care for cough-related illness to participate. Local providers will need to obtain nasal specimens and blood samples from patients to send to the CDC Lab for further testing.

It is hoped the CDC investigation will eventually help local health care providers to better evaluate and diagnose patients with pertussis. It would also assist in identifying potential strategies to control future outbreaks.

Pertussis is a very contagious disease caused by a type the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. Although there is a vaccine for pertussis, and many children receive it, protection from the vaccine fades over time. Adolescents and adults need to be revaccinated, even if they were vaccinated as children. Also, the vaccine is not 100 percent effective. There is still a chance that a fully vaccinated person can catch the contagious disease. Parents of children who develop a cold that includes a prolonged or severe cough, are encouraged to contact their doctor to find out if they may have pertussis. Although rarely fatal, about 1 in 10 children with pertussis get pneumonia (lung infection), and 1 in 50 have convulsions.

For more information on pertussis, visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Pertussis/

Tamarisk beetle program put on hold

The battle of the invaders may be going on hold in the West. While tamarisk, the poster child for non-native plants, has squeezed out native species and exhausted scarce water resources throughout the West, there has been a new ally in the fight against the noxious weed’s spread – a small beetle from Central Asia. However, the federal government has suspended release of tamarisk leaf beetles in many Western states.  

Tamarisk, or salt cedar, is a native of Eurasia introduced to North America by nurseries that sold the small tree as an attractive, quick ornamental. Without any natural predators, the trees spread rampantly from front yards into river corridors and beyond. Since its first introduction, the tenacious plant has seeded itself all over the West, displacing more than 1.6 million acres of willows, cottonwoods and other native vegetation. It is also estimated that each year the thirsty trees consume 2 to 4.5 million acre-feet of water from Western rivers, water that could meet the needs of 20 million people or 1 million acres of irrigated farmland a year. Tamarisk also recently set deeps roots in the Animas River drainage, joining Russian olive and Siberian elm, two invasive trees on the local landscape for many years.

A decades-old effort to bring a natural tamarisk predator into the region has started to yield strong results. Tamarisk stands along the Dolores, Colorado and San Juan rivers have taken hard hits in recent years thanks largely to the release of the beetles.

In 2004, beetles were transported to Moab and the Horsethief bench outside of Fruita. Not only have those local transplants thrived at the expense of tamarisk, they have started to spread through the region and chewed through many of the invasive trees in their wake. The beetles have spread up the Dolores drainage, along the Mancos River and could already be eating salt cedar in the Animas River drainage. The State of Colorado also recently got on the beetle bandwagon and sowed the bugs along the Arkansas River

However, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials recently revoked Colorado’s permits to move the beetles across state borders. The USDA also banned any release of the beetles in eight other Western states.

Flycatchers nest in the invasive tamarisk because the species of native riparian trees in which they previously nested have been replaced by tamarisk and are no longer available. The Endangered Species Act requires that federal agencies not harm endangered species or their habitat and that they consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to formulate plans to avoid such harm.

Following the moratorium, the Center for Biological Diversity and Maricopa Audubon Society killed their legal challenge. “We are relieved that the program has decided to obey the law and will now consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent any further jeopardy to a federally protected species. Our case will now be dismissed,” said attorney Matt Kenna of the Durango-based Western Environmental Law Center.

‘Mountain Lion!’ goes up at FLC

Mountain lions are taking over at Fort Lewis College. The Center of Southwest opens the exhibit “Mountain Lion!” on Aug. 22. The show is a joint effort among the Colorado Division of Wildlife, San Juan Mountains Association, the Southern Ute Tribe, Sorrell Sky Gallery, and Durango Nature Studies.

The exhibit was developed by the Center of Southwest Studies and DOW to address the pressing need for greater public awareness on the growing issue of human encounters with mountain lions. Over the last two decades, there has been a dramatic rise in cougar sightings and dangerous encounters on the urban fringe of Western cities.

The exhibit blends science, history and art to provide a comprehensive look at this mysterious predator. “Mountain Lion!” examines the history of cougars starting from the Ice Age when they roamed the continent. It also looks at the hunting techniques, habits and physical features of the cats, while illustrating the different perspectives of Native Americans and early European settlers toward cougars. The exhibit also teaches visitors how to read cougar behavior, recognize tracks and scat, and offers practical tips on what to do if you encounter a mountain lion.

“Mountain Lion!” will kick off with a public opening at 10 a.m. Aug. 22. The highlight of the day, “Cougar Olympics,” is set for 1 p.m. and includes a host of interactive family and children’s events. Other hands-on activities include science and art stations.

After a year-long run in Durango, the exhibit will travel to museums and nature centers throughout the greater Southwest. For more information, visit http//: swcenter.fortlewis.edu.    

Illegal osha root gatherers sentenced

Four residents of Kayenta, Ariz., recently pleaded guilty in Federal Magistrate’s Court in Durango to digging osha root without a permit on the San Juan National Forest.

Thomas, Tony and Joe Clitso, and Elsie Jones, all members of the Navajo tribe, had dug up and removed 304 pounds of the native plant on national forest lands north of Mancos without a permit. The individuals sell the dried root, used for a variety of medicinal purposes, commercially at flea markets in the Four Corners.

All four defendants were charged with Class B misdemeanors and received a fine of $1,000, with the majority of the fine suspended as long as they do not violate any Forest Service regulations for one year. 

Osha is a perennial herb that grows in adundance throughout the Southern Rockies. However, demand for osha root has risen, and biologists report that the plant is being over-harvested in many areas.  

Because osha rarely reproduces by seed, with most regeneration resulting from the root stalks of parent plants, it can easily be over-harvested. On the San Juan National Forest, commercial harvesters must disclose where they wish to harvest osha and follow guidelines.

“Osha root can be harvested in a sustainable manner by leaving about half of the plant undisturbed, replanting root crowns in the holes created, and harvesting less than 10 percent of a population,” said Gretchen Fitzgerald, San Juan National Forest small sales forester. “The other reason osha is in danger of being over-harvested is that it has not been successfully cultivated, so all commercial vendors are collecting their roots from the wild.”

For more information, contact the San Juan Public Lands Center at 247-4874.  

– Will Sands