Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
Hepatitis B is a disease spread through similar modes as HIV/AIDS. Rates of Hepatitis B in
Cibola and McKinley Counties are similar to State rates (table 86).
Table 86. Rates of sexually transmitted diseases in Cibola and McKinley Counties, per
10,000 population
Cibola
County
McKinley
County
New Mexico
Chlamydia cases, 2010 (95 percent CI) 73.64 95.67 55.79
Hepatitis B, acute and chronic infections,
2006–2009 (95 percent CI)
1.04
(0.45 – 1.63)
.59
(0.22 – 0.86)
0.71
(0.65 – 0.77)
HIV/AIDS (20) NA NA 0.80
Syphilis (2010) 0.37 2.74 0.39
Gonorrhea (2010)
Source: NMDH, 2011a; NMDH, 2010
Abbreviations: CI – confidence interval
5.55 3.03 8.73
The New Mexico Sexually Transmitted Diseases Prevention Unit aims to prevent and reduce the
incidence of sexually transmitted diseases in New Mexico. Services offered by this program
include “consultation and assistance, partner services, screening, surveillance, health care
provider education, case management, and partner notification for reportable STDs in the State”
(NMDH, 2011c). HIV prevention programs have also been developed that specifically focus on
American Indian, African American, and Hispanic communities.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that usually impacts the lungs but can spread to other
parts of the body. Between 2008 and 2010 there were 4 cases of TB reported in Cibola County
and 12 cases in McKinley County (NMDH, 2011d). TB is highly associated with HIV infection
and poor living conditions (McSherry and Connor, 1993).
Injury
Injuries are a major public health problem. They are the third-leading overall cause of death in
New Mexico and the leading cause of death among people ages 1 to 44 years old (NMDH,
2011b). Injury is a major cause of premature death, disability, lost worker productivity, and
income, and increased health care costs. Not only do injuries impact those injured, they can also
decrease quality of life and cause mental anguish in caregivers and family members. Injury can be
exacerbated by the proposed action through traffic injuries and social pathways described later
on.
Unintentional injuries include falls, motor vehicle collisions, poisoning, drowning, suffocation,
and other accidents. Rates of death due to unintentional injury are significantly higher in Cibola
and McKinley Counties than the State of New Mexico as a whole (NMDH, 2011a) (table 87).
Although no data are available on the county level, in the State of New Mexico, poisoning—
394 DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest