By BRENDAN RILEY, Associated Press Writer
CARSON CITY,
Nev. (AP) - A 14th case of childhood leukemia involving a small
farming and Navy town in northern Nevada was confirmed Monday
by state health officials.
The officials
said the latest victim, a girl, has acute myelogenous leukemia.
While different from 13 earlier cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia,
the new case has been included in the childhood leukemia total.
Health Division
spokesman John Flamm said acute myelogenous leukemia is a less
commonly diagnosed form of the disease in children, while acute
lymphocytic leukemia is the most common.
Flamm also
said the Health Division is continuing its investigation into
the cause of the leukemia cluster, working with federal agencies,
including the Centers for Disease Control and the Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry, and with Nevada's congressional
delegation.
He also said
the latest victim isn't a member of a Navy family. The 13th case,
just reported last month, involved a three-year-old girl born
in Fallon while her father was stationed at Fallon Naval Air Station.
The family moved out of state last summer.
Normally,
the rate of acute lymphocytic cases would be about three in every
100,000 people. With thirteen cases among about 25,000 people
living in Churchill County, which encompasses Fallon, the rate
in the area is far above normal.
Acute lymphocytic
leukemia destroys bone marrow. While its cause is unknown, suspected
triggers include radiation exposure, electromagnetic fields or
volatile organic compounds, such as benzene, solvents and fossil
fuels. Arsenic has not been linked to acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Acut myelogenous leukemia is similar, although a different class
of white blood cells are affected.
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