Park County Wyoming Health Officer

05/14/2026

https://health.wyo.gov/notice-to-avoid-and-report-possible-harmful-cyanobacteria-blooms-hcbs-in-wyoming-waters/

CHEYENNE, WYOMING – With summer upon us and more people heading to Wyoming’s lakes and reservoirs to recreate, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ), the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH), and the Wyoming Livestock Board (WLSB), in collaboration with partners, remind the public...

05/14/2026

https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/situation-summary/index.html

Current situation on the hantavirus outbreak that was reported May 2, 2026.

05/14/2026

GLP-1 MEDICATIONS

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1. It is a hormone naturally produced in the gut that regulates blood sugar levels, slows gastric emptying (digestion), and signals fullness to the brain.

Natural Function: Released after eating, it stimulates insulin secretion and suppresses glucagon to manage blood sugar.

Medication Use (GLP-1 Agonists): Popular medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are "GLP-1 receptor agonists". They mimic this natural hormone to treat type 2 diabetes and promote significant weight loss by curbing appetite.

Appetite Control: They increase feelings of satiety, helping people feel fuller for longer. GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) is another, similar gut hormone often paired with GLP-1 in newer, highly effective weight-loss medications (tirzepatide).

BENEFITS:

1. Weight Loss - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41547366/

2. Reduction of major adverse cardiovascular events by 20% (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2307563?utm_source=openevidence)

3. Improvements in heart failure, metabolic-associated steatohepatitis, osteoarthritis, chronic kidney disease in patients with type-2 diabetes, and prediabetes (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcsm.70167).

4. Treatment of type-2 diabetes (https://www.epocrates.com/online/diseases/24/type-2-diatetes-ettitus-in-adults)

ADVERSE EFFECTS (4-7% of patients in clinical trials discontinued these medications due to adverse effects - https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2025.05.024):

1. About 35% of weight loss is due to muscle loss (https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00478).

2. Gastrointestinal adverse events, including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation. This occurred in 47-84% of treated patients vs. 13-63% with placebo (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39761578/). GI adverse effects are generally mild-to-moderate, dose-dependent, and tend to occur during dose escalation (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916525002400?via%3Dihub). Slowly increasing the dose helps minimize intolerance (https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2025.05.024).

3. Less common adverse effects include gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, gastroparesis and bowel obstruction, and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41351656/).

CONTRAINDICATIONS (https://www.epocrates.com/online/drugs/7978/ozempic -dosing):

1. Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (types of cancer)

2. Known hypersensitivity

3. GLP-1 medications have not been shown to be associated with suicidality (https://www.epocrates.com/online/contextuallink/article/study-probes-neuropsychiatric-outcomes-of-semaglutide-use)

*Ozempic (semiglutide) and Mounjaro (tirepatide) are FDA-approved only for type-2 diabetes.

05/14/2026

05/09/2026

BRAIN-EATING AMOEBA

Although primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (a rare but deadly brain infection) has not been documented in Wyoming, Naegleria fowleri (the causative agent) has now been documented in thermal waters in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsestwater.5c01243

For more information on Naegleria fowleri and primary amoebic meningoencephalitis see https://www.cdc.gov/naegleria/about/index.html

CDC fact sheet:https://www.cdc.gov/naegleria/media/pdfs/naegleria_factsheet508c.pdf

05/09/2026

HANTAVIRUS

Hantavirus has been in the news lately, following an outbreak on a commercial cruise ship. There are about 40 strains of hantavirus, of which 20 cause disease in humans. Most hantaviruses have rodents as reservoirs and are transmitted to humans by inhalation of aerosolized f***s, urine, or saliva. Old World hantaviruses (Asia/Europe) often cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), whereas New World hantaviruses (Americas) are generally associated with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Among New World hantaviruses are the Sin Nombre virus ("virus without a name"), concentrated in the Western US, and the Andean virus (implicated in the current outbreak). The Andes virus is the only strain known to be transmitted from human to human (https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/226/8/1362/6369311?login=false). While up to 40% of those infected with hantavirus die, it is a relatively rare infection. There is no known treatment for hantavirus other than supportive care. The last documented case of hantavirus in Wyoming was in Teton County in 2022.

A brief review of the reproduction number (R) will address many concerns about this virus. The reproduction number is the average number of infections produced by one case in a completely susceptible population (basic reproduction number or Ro), and when immunity and public health measures are taken into account (effective reproduction number or Rt). Rt is calculated at a specific time during an outbreak. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number)

Ro = transmissibility x contact rate x duration of infection
Rt = Ro x fraction of susceptible population

Rt < 1 Outbreak is decreasing
Rt = 1 Outbreak is stable
Rt > 1 Outbreak is spreading

Herd immunity threshold (HIT) is the minimum percentage of immune individuals in a population required to prevent sustained disease transmission.

HIT = 1 - (1/Ro)

TAKE HOME LESSON - The reproduction number of the Andes hantavirus is so low that it is not likely to be the cause of the next pandemic. Other hantaviruses do not even have a reproduction number because human-to-human transmission is not known to occur.

For more information go to https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/situation-summary/index.html

05/07/2026

HAND, FOOT, AND MOUTH DISEASE (HFMD)

With summer coming, be on the lookout for HFMD.

FYI

05/01/2026

FIRST WYOMING MEASLES CASE OF 2026 CONFIRMED IN FREMONT COUNTY

Potential public exposures:

1. Walmart in Riverton April 24, 6:30 pm- 9:00 pm
2. Maverik in Powell April 25, 10:45 am - 1:00 pm

The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) has confirmed a case of measles in an adult from Fremont County with unconfirmed vaccination status. While everyone exposed is at risk of infection, the highest risks are to infants, non-immune pregnant women, and immunocompromised people. Measles is a highly....

04/30/2026

Tetanus is a rare but life-threatening disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. Tetanus is acquired when C tetani from soil, dust, or manure enter the body through broken skin from puncture wounds, cuts, or burns.

In the human body, C tetani grows in damaged tissue and produces tetanus toxin, which travels to the central nervous system and blocks the release of neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord.

From 2013 to 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported 267 cases of tetanus in the US, including 13 deaths.

📄This JAMA Patient Page describes the signs and symptoms of , the risk factors, vaccinations for prevention, and how it is diagnosed and treated.

https://ja.ma/4tI0dcT

04/30/2026

MISTRUST IN VACCINES

A November 2025 study by the Pew Research Center found that while mistrust in vaccines is increasing, the majority of Americans (63%) are confident that childhood vaccines are highly effective against serious illness.

https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2025/11/18/how-do-americans-view-childhood-vaccines-vaccine-research-and-policy/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRgUXlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFKMUpodVd1OG9GMENpaVNFc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHt759bEpbxI8iIsL3jpGD4LezB2jsFjpP7R3HAJCRv1vSzHvHp-M0iyUxf0O_aem_61E_G92N7t0rQYpei6B7JA

The findings of the study include:

1. A majority of Americans (63%) are highly confident that childhood vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness. And majorities say these vaccines protect both vaccinated children (69%) and the wider community (65%), though larger shares of Democrats than Republicans hold these views.
2. By comparison, smaller shares of U.S. adults – and Republicans in particular – are extremely or very confident that childhood vaccines have gotten enough safety testing (53%) or that the vaccine schedule is safe (51%).
3. Overwhelming majorities of both Democrats (92%) and Republicans (78%) say the benefits of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine outweigh the risks. Still, among Republicans, this share is down from 91% in 2016.
4. Republican support for MMR vaccine school requirements also continues to slip, from 79% in 2019 to 52% today.
5. Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say medical scientists should have a major role in childhood vaccine policy decisions. In turn, Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say parents of young children should have a major role.

Likely causes of increasing mistrust in vaccines:

1. Social media misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9359307/)
2. Propagation of COVID-19 misinformation by physicians (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2808358)
3. "Do your own research" advocacy (https://misinforeview.hks.harvard.edu/article/support-for-doing-your-own-research-is-associated-with-covid-19-misperceptions-and-scientific-mistrust/)

A majority of Americans say childhood vaccines are effective at preventing illness, but slightly fewer are confident that the vaccine schedule is safe.

04/27/2026

https://health.wyo.gov/new-online-tool-to-help-people-find-naloxone-launched-by-the-wyoming-department-of-health-2/

The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is excited to announce the Community Naloxone Resource Map. This new online tool makes it easier for people to find naloxone at no cost in their local communities.  Naloxone, often known by the brand name Narcan®, is a life-saving drug that reverses the effec...