West Nile virus outbreak sets national record 1993 cases, kills 87
West Nile virus outbreak sets national record, kills 87
Thu, 2012-09-06 07:36 AM By: Mark Rockwell
West Nile virus infections reached record numbers as the summer drew to a close, with cases involving the more deadly form of the disease the most common, according to updated Centers for Disease Control numbers in early September.
As of September 4, the CDC said 48 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds or mosquitoes, with only Alaska and Hawaii not yet reporting any cases.
A total of 1,993 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 87 deaths, have been reported, up from 66 deaths reported to the agency only a month-and-a-half ago.
Of those fatal cases, 1,069 (54 percent) were classified as neuroinvasive disease (such as meningitis or encephalitis) and 924 (46 percent) were classified as non-neuroinvasive disease.
The neuroinvasive classification is the more dangerous form of the disease.
The 1,993 cases reported so far in 2012 is the highest number of West Nile virus disease cases reported through the first week in September since West Nile virus was first detected in the United States in 1999, said the CDC.
In mid-August, the CDC said 47 states had reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds or mosquitoes. Of the 47 states that reported West Nile virus activity, 38 had human cases of disease and a total of 1,118 cases of the disease have been reported to the CDC, including 41 deaths.
Over 70 percent of the cases have been reported from six states -- Texas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Michigan -- and almost 45 percent of all cases have been reported from Texas.
Texas health officials have been battling an historic outbreak of the disease this summer. In a Sept. 4 briefing, Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said 2012 is officially the state’s worst year for West Nile infection, with a reported 40 deaths and 1,013 cases reported to the CDC, with 495 cases involving the neuroinvasive form of the disease.
West Nile virus outbreak sets national record, kills 87 | Government Security News
