DPHHS announces first confirmed case of Monkeypox in Montana News from DPHHS
FLATHEAD COUNTY — The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and Flathead City-County Health Department today confirmed a single presumptive case of monkeypox virus infection in a Flathead County adult. Initial testing was completed August 5, 2022, at the Montana State Public Health Laboratory and confirmatory testing will occur next with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). DPHHS is working closely with local public health and the patient’s health care provider to identify individuals who may have been in contact
with the patient while they were infectious. The local public health jurisdiction is performing contact tracing and will communicate with individuals identified as a close contact. The patient did not require hospitalization and is isolating at home. To protect patient confidentiality, no further details related to the patient will be disclosed. As of Aug. 4, 2022, CDC reports 7,102 cases of monkeypox/orthopoxvirus in 48 other U.S. states. In recent months, more than 26,519 cases have been reported in 81 countries where the disease is not typically reported. Symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle aches
and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks and most people get better on their own without treatment. At times, monkeypox can cause scars from the sores, the development of secondary infections, such as pneumonia, or other complications. The virus does not easily spread between people with casual contact, but transmission can occur through contact with infectious sores and body fluids; contaminated items, such as clothing or bedding; or through
respiratory droplets associated with prolonged face-to-face contact. “Early recognition of the characteristic monkeypox rash by patients and clinicians is necessary to minimize transmission of this virus,” said DPHHS acting State Medical Officer Dr. Maggie Cook-Shimanek. “Anyone with symptoms of monkeypox should isolate from others and immediately consult a healthcare provider.” Because monkeypox transmission requires close and prolonged contact, close-knit social networks have been particularly impacted. There is no treatment specifically for monkeypox. But because monkeypox and smallpox
viruses are closely related, antiviral drugs (such as tecovirimat) and vaccines developed to protect against smallpox may be used to prevent and treat monkeypox virus infections. The need for treatment will depend on how sick someone gets or whether they are likely to get severely ill. DPHHS is pre-positioning a supply of tecovirimat in the state for use, if necessary. CDC does not recommend widespread vaccination against monkeypox at this time. However, vaccination may be recommended for some people who have been exposed to the monkeypox virus. According to the CDC, the monkeypox virus is spreading mostly
Commissioners take action to cease fee collection News from Lake County Commissioner Gale Decker
LAKE COUNTY — Mission Valley irrigators will notice a significant change in their tax statements beginning in tax year 2023. Fees for operation and maintenance of the three irrigation districts will no longer be collected by the County Treasurer and distributed to the districts as has been done previously. A Resolution of Intent to discontinue the collection of the fees was considered by the Lake County Commissioners in July of 2021, but action was tabled after 6 - August 10, 2022
the Commissioners received comment from the districts requesting more time to put in place an alternative method of collecting the fees. Another public hearing was conducted on July 20 of this year for the Commissioners to again consider action on the Resolution of Intent. After considerable discussion, the Commissioners passed the Resolution effectively ending the collection of irrigation fees by the County. Numerous irrigation projects like the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project were financed and built by the Federal government decades ago. The Feds
wanted to ensure that the irrigators benefited by the projects paid back the dollars spent in construction, so liens were placed on individual irrigator’s properties. In addition, the State Legislature enacted laws requiring County Treasurers to add irrigation fees to landowner tax statements knowing that the fees would have to be paid at the same time the property taxes were paid. The collected irrigation fees were then distributed to the irrigation districts who used the funds to operate and maintain the district with the understanding the project would be owned by Valley Journal
the irrigators when construction costs were fully repaid. The Commissioner’s decision to discontinue the collection of fees by the Treasurer was based on language in the Montana Water Rights Protection Act that was signed into law by President Trump in Dec. 2020. That language provides that the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior, are “the entity with the legal authority and responsibility to operate the Mission Valley division of the project...” The Act also establishes that the Tribes are now responsible for rehabil-
through close, intimate contact with someone who has monkeypox. Montanans can take steps to prevent getting monkeypox. Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their healthcare provider, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox. A person who is sick with monkeypox should isolate at home. If they have an active rash or other symptoms, they should be in a separate room or area from other family members and pets, when possible. To learn more about this virus, visit the CDC website: https://www.cdc. gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/.
itation, modernization, and operational improvements to the infrastructure of the FIIP. One billion dollars is to be initially deposited in the Settlement Trust Fund established by the Act, and an additional ninety million dollars is to be added to the fund on Oct. 1 of each calendar year through 2029 to carry out improvements to the project. The CSKT will be given the money to fund the improvements to the project, but the improvements will be owned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The FIIP is now owned and
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