Deadly West
Nile Virus Threatens U.S. As Four People Die, 88 Infected
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West Nile virus |
WASHINGTON,
Aug 3 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Louisiana Governor Mike
Foster has declared a state of emergency and requested federal
assistance after an outbreak of West Nile virus claimed four lives in
the southern U.S. state and the number of those affected by the
disease reached 88, at last count on Saturday, August 3.
"It
is becoming quite evident that the broad nature of this outbreak is
going to quickly deplete both state and local funds dedicated to
epidemiological efforts, laboratory testing, surveillance and mosquito
control efforts," said David Hood, secretary of the state
Department of Health and Hospitals, Agence France-Presse (AFP)
reported.
The
declaration came on Friday, after authorities registered three more
fatal cases of the disease in various parts of the state.
Twenty-six
more people infected by the virus have been identified in just one
day, according to state health officials.
An
83-year-old woman from the city of Baton Rouge, whose name has not
been released, died from West Nile virus earlier in the week.
On
radio, state officials urged the population to stay away from stagnant
water, breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry the virus.
Pick-up
trucks spewing insecticide could be seen Friday on many Louisiana
highways.
The
Atlanta, Georgia-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) has dispatched a team of experts to the state to plot
anti-mosquito strategy.
But
getting rid of the insects could prove to be a tall order for the
low-lying state, which is crisscrossed by swamps, bayous and rivulets
that form the Mississippi delta.
West
Nile virus made its North American debut in 1999 in New York, where it
is believed to have been brought by individuals returning from trips
to Africa.
That
epidemic affected a total of about 60 people and claimed seven lives.
Healthy
people infected by it show only flu-like symptoms, but the infection
could lead to deadly West Nile virus encephalitis among young
children, the elderly as well as people with suppressed immune
systems.
The
Louisiana outbreak shows that despite the government's best efforts to
contain the disease, West Nile virus has now spread far beyond the
eastern seaboard and is now affecting practically the whole eastern
part of the United States.
In
addition, five cases of the virus have been registered in Mississippi
and eight in Texas, according to CDC officials.
Animal
infections have been reported in nine states, including Georgia,
Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota,
Texas and South Dakota.
And,
to the dismay of Secret Service officials, an infected dead crow was
discovered last week on a White House lawn.
Since
the disease is often carried by migratory birds, preventing its
further movement across the country could be difficult, according to
Anthony Marfin, the CDC's top expert in West Nile Virus.
"There
has been a great deal of speculation as to how far West the West Nile
virus will spread," Marfin told reporters. "I think that a
lot of people are expecting great movement because of what we've seen
in the past year."
In
New York, state officials have seen to it that helicopters spray down
parts of the state, particularly in New York city, with chemicals
designed to kill mosquitoes.
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