| CDC: Could Be The Worst West Nile Outbreak On Record |
| Aug-22-2012 |
| Keywords: cdc, west nile, outbreak, 1100 infected, 41 dead |
The Centers for Disease Control said Wednesday this is shaping up to be the worst year ever for West Nile Virus infections and deaths in the U.S.
The virus has so far this year has infected more than 1,100 people, killing 41. The number of cases has risen dramatically in the past few weeks. CDC officials say numbers are alarming given there were only 25 cases reported nationwide this time last month.
"There have been more cases reported to us at this time of year than ever before," said Dr. Lyle R. Petersen, director of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases for the CDC. "This will be amongst the biggest or the biggest break we've had in the United States."
The worst U.S. outbreak occurred in 2003, with 9,862 cases and 264 deaths that year.
So far about half of the infections and deaths have occurred in Texas. State officials are working closely with the CDC to get a handle on the outbreak. Statewide, there are 586 reported cases with 21 deaths. Lakey said there were four more reported cases and one additional death yesterday, but those have not officially been confirmed.
Dallas County, which includes the city of Dallas, is under a public health emergency with the largest number of cases in the state. For the first time in decades, county officials have been spraying pesticides over the city and its suburbs overnight. |
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Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 5:00 PM Email to a friend |
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