Plague Case In Northwest -- from Seattle Times

(This post is an update on ther earlier one.)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018446561_plague16.html

For more information on rodent control see http://www.cascadepest.com/rodents/index.htm

Plague infects Oregon Man

Plague Infects Oregon Man Who Tried to Get Rodent From Stray Cat – June 15

An Oregon man who was bitten by a stray cat has contracted the plague — the fifth case of the disease in Oregon since 1995.

By Nigel Duara and Steven Duboist

The Associated Press

PORTLAND — Health officials have confirmed an Oregon man has the plague after he was bitten while trying to take a dead rodent from the mouth of a stray cat.

The unidentified Prineville, Ore., man was in critical condition on Friday. He is suffering from a blood-borne version of the disease, not the bubonic plague, which wiped out at least one-third of Europe in the 14th century. The bubonic plague affects the lymph nodes.

There is an average of seven human plague cases in the U.S. each year. A map maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows most cases since the 1970s have been in the West, primarily the southwest.

The last reported case of plague in Washington state occurred in 1984 when an animal trapper in Yakima became infected while skinning a bobcat. In 2010, a Washington laboratory technician was treated to prevent plague infection after working with a specimen from one of the two reported cases in Oregon at the time.

The plague bacteria cycles through rodent populations without killing them off; in urban areas, it's transmitted back and forth from rats to fleas. There's even a name for it, the "enzootic cycle."

The bacteria thrive in forests, semiarid areas and grasslands, which plague-carrying rodents from wood rats to rock squirrels call home.

Once a coin flip with death, the plague is now easier to handle for humans in the U.S. The national mortality rate stood at 66 percent before World War II, but advances in antibiotics dropped that rate to its present 16 percent.

Central Oregon health officials don't blame the cat.

"The reality is that, in rural areas, part of the role of cats is to keep the rodent population controlled around our homes and barns" said Karen Yeargain of the Crook County Health Department.

The Prineville man, who is in his 50s, remained in critical condition Friday at a Bend hospital. His illness marks the fifth case of plague in Oregon since 1995.

State public health veterinarian Dr. Emilio DeBess said the man was infected when he was bitten by the stray his family befriended. The cat died and its body is being sent to the CDC for testing.

DeBess has collected blood samples from two dogs and another cat that lives with the man's family. DeBess also collected blood samples from neighbors' pets and from animals in the local shelter to determine whether the area has a plague problem.

More than a dozen people who were in contact with the sick man have been notified and are receiving preventive antibiotics.

For information regarding rodent control in Seattle, and rodent control in King, Snohomish and Skagit counties see http://www.cascadepest.com/rodents/index.htm

Cascade Pest Control one of Puget Sound Business Journal's fastest growing cmopanies on the Eastside

Cascade Pest Contol listed as one of Puget Sound Business Journal's "Fastest Growing companies on the Eastside" http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/.
 Cascade Pest Control, became the first company in the nation to work with both government agencies and private watchdogs dedicated to environmental-health. The process was extremely successful, landing Cascade Pest Control a host of environmental-health and business ethics awards. Cascade Pest Control earned its place as a leader in the early movement of Green Pest Control working hand-in-hand with environmental and health-oriented task-forces and agencies.
http://www.cascadepest.com/about/values.htm
Cascade Pest Control specializes in Rodent Control, Rodent Damage Repair, and Attic and Crawlspace Insulation repair.
http://www.cascadepest.com/rodents/index.htm
http://www.cascadepest.com/rodents/rodent-exclusion.htm
http://www.cascadepest.com/rodents/rodent-exclusion.htm

Cascade Pest Control web site update

We have added new pages on insect and spider pests and also made it easier to find the information you need about pest control in the greater Seattle area. Our specialty is rodent control--including crawl space clean up and rat decontamination. We also have 30 years experience in controling carpenter ants and other pests. We were the first company to win over a dozen environmental awards and continue to be a grean pest control leader for Seattle, King county and Snohomish county. For more information see www.CascadePest.com

Seattle Carpenter Ant Seminar

ALL STAFF(except owners) Attended a seminar Thursday 4-17-08. The seminarwas held at Univar in Kent. This was a panel discussion with Corey Chantry of All Seasons Pest Control as the moderator. The panel consisted of Scott Deland of Willards Pest Control, Art Bader of Whitworth Pest Solutions and Bob Anderson of Sprague Pest Solutions. The panel discussed the importanceof expectations, inspection and patience. They talked about the biology and behavior of the ants and the difficulty in locating nest sites. Someof the newer products on the market were discussed as well as baits, repellants and non-repellants that are currently in use. Where to look, conducive conditions, exterior vegetation were all mentioned. Unusual scenarios and treatment intervals were talked about at length. The participation from the audience was great!
Report from Al Brown, Service Manager of Cascade Pest Control (425)641-6264 (206)525-0882 www.CascadePest.com

Pacific Northwest Pest Control Conference

Kurt and Diana Treftz of Cascade Pest Control attended the Pacific Northwest Pest Managment Associations annual conference, April 2008.

This years speakers included Joanne Tank of Buffalo Exterminating, Jeff Smith of Univar USA, Herb Field of Lloyd Pest Control, Michael Rottler, president of Rottler Pest and Lawn Solutions of St Louis, MO and Linden Griffin, president of Griffin Pest Solutions, Inc.

This years main focus of interest was "green" pest control. What it means, how it works, what materials can be used for it, what elements can we as pest control companies in the northwest incorporate.

In one session Diana Treftz commented that she believes that it matters not so much how we as an industry define it, but more importantly, how does each and every one of our clients define it. Each and every persons definition is different. She said that her company trains their employees to explore what the clients understanding is and that to answer their concerns they must first understand their definitions of the terms.

Jeff Smith of Univar USA stressed that if our clients ask for "green products only" discuss it with them to find out exactly what their meaning is, and what products and practices are acceptable to them. Their concept likely differs slightly from other clients and from what we in the industry understand it to be.

Different states have created different "green list" definitions of pesticides:

Huge fallacy: many people including legislators believe that "natural pesticides" are better than organics. However, as we know there are many people who are allergic to natural substances used in pesticides and not allergic to those same substances synthetic cousins. Also, the "natural" insecticide pyrethrum, if sprayed to control aphids on landscape plants also kills all other insects contacted... is this green? While Merit 75, a "synthetic" insecticide, applied to the soil around trees and shrubs is taken into the foliage to kill ONLY those insects feeding on the plant. It has no effect on other organisms on that plant.

So much to educate the public about. So much confusion and misunderstanding often driven by fear..and not knowldege. Organic, natural pesticide is not always better than synthetic. Some common "Natural" pesticides affect insects (and other animals ) in ways identical to synthestic pesticides. AND...Nearly all of them are "neurotoxins". From the Unicersity of Georgia-The Bugwood Network....
The source of a chemical (synthetic vs natural) is irrelevant when considering its toxicity.
Organisms cannot differentiate between "natural" and "synthetic" chemicals
Mode of action, not source, is the concern of toxicologists and " informed" users of pesticides.
Theophrastus Phillippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim, a Swiss physician and alchemist, father of modern toxicology once said: "The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy" (the dose makes the poison)

Other items of interest.

in my opinion, best business tip was given by Joanna Tank of Buffalo Extermination.
She has years of banking experience and showed a 5 year comparison of Profit and Loss statement. Her belief is that 2 year comparison is definitely not enough. Having done two year comparisons at Cascade Pest Control for many years I can see the great advantage of going back another 3 years. This way we can tell if a change in percentage of cost is a one time event or a pattern that has developed.

Pest Control Seminar held near Seattle, WA

A pest control seminar hosted by Univar in cooperation with the WSPCA Education Committee on 2/21/08 for Greater Seattle area pest control operators.
The first half covered pesticide/chemical spills. The speaker was Fred Whitford from Purdue University's Pesticide Programs. It was an entertainig presentation onwhat some would consider a boring subject. He pulled technicians from the audience to use as victims and drivers. He simulated a vehicle accident with a chemical spill and had them say what steps to follow. Al Brown of Cascade Pest Control noted that all Cascade vehicles have labels and MSDS's which Mr Whitford said was most important.
The second half was on Integrated Pest Management and Green pest control. How we have evolved from exterminators to consultants. Our role is in being good stewards of the environment. It was clear that, as we do our consciously of the environment we should be a well respected industry and be compensated accordingly.

Report submitted by Alan Brown