From Missouri Digital News: https://mdn.org
MDN Menu

MDN Home

Journalist's Creed

Print

MDN Help

 MDN.ORG: Missouri Digital News
MDN Menu

MDN Home

Journalist's Creed

Print

MDN Help

 MDN.ORG Mo. Digital News Missouri Digital News MDN.ORG: Mo. Digital News MDN.ORG: Missouri Digital News
Help  

Rash outbreak buzz gets CDC attention.

September 14, 2004
By: Evan Godt
State Capital Bureau

The Federal CDC has been called to help find the source of apparent bug bites swarming through southwest Missouri. Evan Godt reports from Jefferson City.

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

The CDC is helping the Kansas Department of Health and Environment investigate a large number of human rashes popping up across southern Kansas and Missouri.

Sharon Watson is a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health.

Actuality:
RunTime:
OutCue:
Contents: We're not seeing anything that's affecting the respiratory system or their eyes to indicate that there's an air irritation situation going on so at this point its pointing to some type of insect.

The CDC has sent members of the Epidemic Intelligence Service to the area to investigate.

So far, the agency had not gotten word of any hospitalizations related to the rash.

From the state Capitol, I'm Evan Godt

###

An outbreak of apparent bug bites swarming through southwest Missouri has caught the attention of the Federal CDC. Evan Godt reports from Jefferson City.

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

The CDC is helping Kansas Department of Health and Environment investigate a large number of human rashes popping up across southern Kansas and Missouri counties.

Sharon Watson is a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health.

Actuality:
RunTime:
OutCue:
Contents: There are some similarities in that people tend not to feel like they've been bitten they get it after a few hours of having been outside and then it does itch severly in some cases to the point were they seek medical attention.

Symptoms of the rash are like poison ivy but with large bumps that show the probable cause to be insect bites.

Watson says people wishing to report further cases should contact their local health department.

From the state Capitol, I'm Evan Godt

###

An outbreak of bug bites swarming through southwest Missouri has caught the attention of the Federal CDC. Evan Godt reports from Jefferson City.

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

The CDC is helping the Kansas Department of Health and Environment investigate a large number of human rashes popping up across southern Kansas and Missouri.

While reports span across a large area, experts believe the cases are related.

Sharon Watson is a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health.

Actuality:
RunTime:
OutCue:
Contents: We are looking at the possiblility that they are all connected because of the similarities at that they don't feel like they've been bitten by anything the bites/rashes last about the same amount of time the severity varies from person to person, some are seeking medical attention while others are using over-the-counter products.

So far, the agency had not gotten word of any hospitalizations related to the bites.

From the state Capitol, I'm Evan Godt.

###

The Federal CDC has been called to help find the source of apparent bug bites swarming through southwest Missouri. Evan Godt reports from Jefferson City.

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

The CDC is helping the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in investigate a large number of human rashes popping up across southern Kansas and Missouri.

Experts believe bug bites are the cause of the rash but called the CDC to come and make sure.

Sharon Watson is a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health.

Actuality:
RunTime:
OutCue:
Contents: At this point it appears to be bug bites but of course its early in the investigation and thats why we asked the centers for disease control and prevention to see if there was something going on besides bug bites.

Reports of the bites first arose after a football game at Pittsburg State University, which borders Kansas and Missouri.

Since the game, reports have come in from several southern Missouri counties.

From the state Capitol, I'm Evan Godt

###

The Federal CDC has been called to help find the source of apparent bug bites swarming through southwest Missouri. Evan Godt reports from Jefferson City.

Story:
RunTime:
OutCue: SOC

The CDC is helping the Kansas Department of Health and Environment investigate a large number of human rashes popping up across southern Kansas and Missouri.

Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health, described the symptoms related to these bites.

Actuality:
RunTime:
OutCue:
Contents: They start to develop a rash in some cases it almost looks like poison ivy or hives in other cases its just a single bite or two in one location that can be rather large and look like a pimple to some degree.

Since the first reports came from Kansas, the Missouri Department of Health is letting Kansas head up the investigation.

But, people wishing to report further cases should call their local health department.

From the state Capitol, I'm Evan Godt