Concerns About West Nile Virus in Southern California
Posted on August 5, 2008The L.A. Times reports that local health officials in Southern California are warning residents about the resurgance of the West Nile Virus. There have only
Concerns About West Nile Virus in Southern California
Posted on August 5, 2008The L.A. Times reports that local health officials in Southern California are warning residents about the resurgance of the West Nile Virus. There have only be 39 cases confirmed so far but the virus tends to peak in September in October. Health officials are also concerned because 70% of these cases have been the serious neurological form of the disease.
Thirty-nine cases of human West Nile virus have been confirmed in the state as of Tuesday. There have been no fatalities related to West Nile virus in California this year, but officials fear an outbreak between August and October, the peak period for infections.You can read about the more severe form of West Nile Virus here. The national West Nile figures can be found here on the CDC's website. The CDC's case total may run a little behind what individual states are reporting.
Humans and animals contract West Nile virus from bites of infected mosquitoes, which contract it by feeding on birds that hav