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Health officials in Louisiana confirmed Friday that two more people have died of the West Nile virus, bringing the death toll to seven in the worst outbreak of the disease in the United States.
The latest victims were identified as a 76-year-old woman and a94-year-old woman from areas where many cases of infection have occurred. Besides, another 14 cases of infection in the state were confirmed, raising the total to 85.
According to a report released on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, 112 human cases of West Nile virus have been reported across the country, more than half of them occurring since July 31. Most of the cases are in Louisiana, where all seven deaths this year occurred.
Men make up 60 percent of the cases; the median age of the patients is 55; and many had other health problems that weakened their immune systems, according to the report.
Besides Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas were reporting large numbers of infectious cases. Washington D.C., the nation's capital, and the state of Alabama confirmed one case of infection each this week. These two cases were not included into the CDC statistics.
The West Nile virus, discovered in Uganda in 1937, found its way to New York in 1999 in the largest outbreak in the history of the United States, resulting in 62 cases, including seven deaths.
West Nile virus can cause flu-like symptoms and sometimes potentially fatal swelling of the brain. Most of the victims have been older people or those with weak immune systems.
(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2002)
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