This indicator is part of Good public health.

Indicator description:                                                           

Zoonotic diseases are those diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people, sometimes by a vector such as an insect or rodent. Zoonotic diseases in New Mexico and Bernalillo County include plague, West Nile Virus, hantavirus and rabies. From 1990-2006, 124 cases of plague were reported in the United States; of those, 67 occurred in New Mexico, and ten occurred in Bernalillo County. Hantavirus has been reported in New Mexico, with 195 cases occurring between 1993-2006. The cases occurred primarily in the Four Corners region, although two occurred in Bernalillo County. The first human cases of West Nile Virus in New Mexico were reported in 2003, when there were a total of 209 cases. Of the total 228 New Mexico cases between 2003-2006, 55 of them occurred in Bernalillo County. The last human rabies case in New Mexico occurred in 1956. 

Why is this indicator relevant?

Zoonotic diseases are a serious concern in New Mexico and Bernalillo County, as many of these diseases are potentially fatal. Many modern diseases and epidemics began as zoonotic diseases. It is hard to be certain which diseases jumped from animals to humans, but there is good evidence that measles, smallpox, influenza, and diphtheria started this way. Education and prevention, coupled with prompt recognition by physicians and adequate surveillance of zoonotic diseases, can help to prevent transmission and provide advance warning of disease outbreaks prior to increased rates of infection and death.

Data Sources:
Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Disease Division, Albuquerque Environmental Health Department; Infectious Diseases in New Mexico, 2006 Annual Report, NM Depart of Health.

What can we tell from the data?

• Since 1990, New Mexico accounts for more than half (54%) of the plague cases in the United States. Approximately 15% of New Mexico's plague cases occurred in Bernalillo County.
• West Nile Virus first appeared in humans in New Mexico in 2003, with 209 cases that year. The rate has been declining ever since. Twenty-four percent of New Mexico's West Nile cases have occurred in Bernalillo County.
• Hantavirus is present in New Mexico, although only two cases have occurred in Bernalillo County of the 195 cases in New Mexico.
• The last human rabies case in New Mexico occurred in 1956.

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