Blog 2: West Nile Virus Cases, Deaths Still On Rise

In this article Ann Curley discusses the still rising number of deaths and cases of the West Nile Virus. This summer cases of the West Nile virus are at an all- time high. There have not been this many cases since 1999. Just this past week the number of West Nile Virus Cases have risen 25%. On Tuesday 1,993 cases of the virus have been reported this includes 87 deaths. This number is significantly larger than last week where there 1,590 cases including 66 deaths. The number of cases and deaths are expected to keep rising until October. The majority of these cases are found in Texas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Michigan, and Louisiana. Texas has the largest outbreak of 46% and is the worst year ever for the West Nile virus. The CDC thinks that a possible reason that the cases of the virus are so high because of Hurricane Isaac. Even though the West Nile virus does not normally increase because of natural disasters many people spent more time outdoors this summer because of the loss of their homes and during the recovery effort were more likely to be in contact with infected mosquitos. Ariel spraying has been used to reduce the density of mosquitos in some areas of Texas. The density of mosquitos has decreased 93% in areas that have been sprayed consecutively rather than areas that have not been sprayed at all. Curley ends the article by giving tips on how to avoid mosquito bites.

The west Nile virus is often seen in Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. The West Nile virus was first seen in America in 1999 and the highest numbers of cases have been seen this year since 1999. In the article Curley only talks about how the West Nile Virus is impacting America it still affects the world and is significant on a global scale. If the West Nile virus is not brought under control soon the mosquitos carrying the virus could travel to other countries and affect the people there.   
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/05/health/west-nile-virus/index.html