Mark Conlee Interview – January 20, 2010

First Human Case Of West Nile Virus In Brazos County

Brazos County has its first person infected with West Nile Virus. The health district says the person lives in the College Station zip code of 77845. The severity of the person’s infection was not released. The health district says most people who are exposed do not get sick. 20 percent develop headaches, fever, body aches, joint pain, nausea, and/or fatigue. The health district’s response to the first human case includes but is not limited to setting additional mosquito trips and increased application of chemicals in areas of the affected zip code where the mosquito population multiplies. The health district asks property owners to remove standing water and ensure that lawn irrigation and onsite sewage systems are operating properly. The health district also tests for West Nile in surrounding counties. And a mosquito trap in the Grimes County zip code of 77868 had positive samples. The zip code area includes Navasota and the Wallace Pack prison. News release from the Brazos County health district: The Brazos County Health District Vector Surveillance Program has confirmed mosquito samples collected in Brazos County and submitted for testing by the Texas Department of State Health Services Arbovirus Laboratory have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV). The mosquito traps that collected the positive samples were located in Grimes County: 77868 zip code The confirmed human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) was located in: Human WNV Case: 77845 zip code of College Station Please keep in mind that all of Brazos County should be considered positive for WNV and residents should take the necessary steps to reduce exposure to mosquitoes. The Brazos County Health District (BCHD) conducts Mosquito Surveillance with weekly trapping in both Cities of Bryan and College Station, beginning each May through the end of October to monitor for the presence of West Nile Virus, St Louis Encephalitis Virus, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus. BCHD staff also collects mosquitoes trapped by members of the Brazos Valley Vector Collaborative (BVVC) in the six adjacent counties of Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Washington. Traps are set by BVVC members every other week and samples are collected, prepared and shipped to the Texas DSHS Arbovirus Laboratory in Austin by the BCHD. Brazos County Health District officials have notified the other members of the Vector Surveillance and Control Partnership along with the City of Bryan, City of College Station, Texas A&M University, and affected surrounding counties. Enhanced surveillance including additional traps and larvicide treatments of confirmed breeding habitat in the area of the positive sample collection will begin as specified in the Brazos County Health District Phased Response Guidelines. Residents in all areas of Bryan, College Station, the Brazos Valley area, and surrounding counties should empty and eliminate any standing water in containers on their property and ensure that lawn irrigation and onsite sewage systems are functioning properly. In response to the first human case of West Nile Virus in Brazos County in 2024, BCHD will follow the protocol outlined in the Phased Response Guidelines. This Phased Response includes but is not limited to setting additional traps and increased larvicide application of breeding habitats in the impacted zip code. BCHD will continue to educate the public on ways to protect themselves and monitor the area. There are no medications to treat, or vaccines to prevent West Nile Virus infection. All Brazos County residents are urged to use the 4D’s to reduce exposure to biting mosquitoes: • DEET All day, Every Day: Whenever outside, use and reapply insect repellents that have the active ingredient DEET or other EPA-registered repellents and always follow label instructions. • Dress: Wear long, loose, and light-colored clothing outside. • Dusk and Dawn: Limit spending time outdoors when mosquitoes are most active. • Drain: Drain or treat with larvicide all standing water in and around your home or workplace where mosquitoes could lay eggs. West Nile Virus is transmitted through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Most people exposed to the virus do not get sick, but about 20% develop symptoms like headache, fever, body aches, joint pains, nausea, and fatigue. In a very small portion, less than one percent, the virus affects the nervous system, leading to a more serious illness that can cause neck stiffness, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, paralysis, and even death. For more information, visit our website at www.brazoshealth.org

Texas A&M’s President Addresses The Faculty Senate

September’s meeting of the Texas A&M faculty senate included an appearance from president Mark Welsh. The 50 minute session opened with Welsh providing updates on committee work and upcoming initiatives that includes A&M’s Vision 2040 plan, engaging new employees and students in what he called “Reembracing the Spirit of Aggieland”, and launching a new student leadership program where students could get academic credit. Welsh then answered faculty questions on topics ranging from paying student athletes to the university continuing to study employee pay, academic freedom, and transportation issues between the main campus, the west campus, and the health science center. Click below to hear some of the comments from Mark Welsh during the September 9, 2024 Texas A&M faculty senate meeting. Listen to “Texas A&M's president addresses the faculty senate September 9, 2024” on Spreaker.

Announcements Involving Brazos County Emergency Management, College Station Fire Department, And Bryan Fire Department

Brazos County has a new emergency management coordinator. Shannon Covey moved here from Arizona, where she spent more than 20 years in various emergency management positions in the public and private sector. Covey takes over for Michele Bailey-Meade, who retired after nine years as emergency coordinator as part of 40 years in various public safety positions in Brazos County. The College Station fire department receives more federal money to hire more employees. The nearly $4 million dollar grant will pay for 12 firefighters for the first three years of the city’s seventh fire station. Construction is scheduled to begin early next year on Greens Prairie Road between Wyndham Ranch Road and Sweetwater Drive. Two years ago, CSFD received almost $2 million dollars to hire seven firefighters. And the same grant program paid for six new positions in 2018. The president of the Bryan firefighters union has been appointed to the Texas commission on fire protection. A news release from the governor’s office says the commission develops and enforces fire service standards and provides education and assistance to the industry. Daniel Buford, who lives in Montgomery, is a BFD lieutenant. He was appointed to serve on the fire commission through February of 2029. News release from Brazos County about the hiring of a new emergency management coordinator: Brazos County Judge Duane Peters is happy to announce Shannon Covey (KOH-vee) has started her new position as the Brazos County Emergency Management Coordinator. Shannon has worked in emergency management for 20-plus years, most recently as an Emergency Management Coordinator for Valleywise Health in Phoenix, Arizona. Before working at Valleywise Health, Shannon was employed by the Arizona Department of Emergency & Military Affairs as an Emergency Services Program Coordinator working with both the private and non-profit sector to assist communities in the recovery process following disasters. “I am passionate about training and equipping individuals with the knowledge and tools to prepare, mitigate, respond and recover from inevitable disasters,” she says. Shannon has a master’s degree in Emergency Management and Homeland Security Leadership, and is a certified Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) professional. She and her husband of 24 years have two children, and are looking forward to embracing the Texas culture and way of life here in Brazos County. News release from the city of College Station about the federal grant hiring 12 firefighters: The College Station Fire Department has been awarded a $3.87 million federal grant under the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program to fully fund 12 firefighters for three years at the new Fire Station No.7. The City Council will officially accept the grant award at its Sept. 26 meeting Thursday night. The grant award is the largest federal grant ever received by the CSFD. Construction on the new station at 2981 Greens Prairie Road will begin in early 2025 and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2026. Voters approved the project as part of the 2022 bond election. “We are excited to be awarded the SAFER grant as a mechanism to begin to build the staffing of the department as we move toward adding Station 7,” CSFD Fire Chief Richard Mann said. “The SAFER program allows us a critical transition period to use federal funding to meet the fire service staffing needs.” CSFD plans to begin recruiting this fall and hiring firefighters in the spring to meet the grant requirements. Applications will be considered for fully, partially, and non-certified candidates. The grant will fully fund the firefighters’ salaries and benefits through the three-year grant performance period as the first phase of staffing requirements. News release from the governor’s office about a Bryan firefighter’s appointment to the state commission on fire protection: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Daniel Buford to the Texas Commission on Fire Protection for a term set to expire on February 1, 2029. The Commission develops and enforces statewide fire service standards and provides education and assistance to the industry. Daniel Buford of Montgomery is a lieutenant of the Bryan Fire Department and previously served as a lieutenant for the Northeast Volunteer Fire Department. He is president of the Bryan Fire Fighters Association and district service representative of the International Association of Fire Fighters. Additionally, he is a member of the Texas State Association of Fire Fighters and former vice president of the Village Professional Fire Fighters Association. Buford received an Associate of Applied Science in Fire Science from Lonestar Community College.