We have not reached the peak of mosquito activity for the season, yet West Nile Virus cases have already begun appearing at a rapid rate along the U.S., most recently in Texas, Los Angeles, Massachusetts, Maine, South Carolina, Michigan, and New York. While you can read about WNV symptoms and prevention here, let's take a look at the bigger picture.
Los Angeles
Bucking the nationwide trend, Los Angeles has surprisingly seen less instances of WNV than it did last year, rounding out at 5 cases as opposed to the 63 that were recorded this time last year. The Los Angeles Times reports that officials in Los Angeles County have issued a warning to Santa Monica residents after finding two dead infected birds in the area.
Jonathan Fielding, director of public health for Los Angeles County, expressed that the county was "having a relatively light season for West Nile."
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has seen two cases of WNV this year, afflicting two elderly Cambridge men, who were aged seventy and sixty respectively. The Department of Public Health has raised the virus threat level to high. Boston.com reports that several cases are expected in Cambridge and the surrounding communities of Belmont, Boston, Arlington, Watertown, Brookline, and Somerville.
John Auerbach of the Department of Public Health stated, "Today's announcement is a compelling indicator that the threat of mosquito-borne illness is widespread, and people should continue taking simple, common-sense steps to protect themselves and their families against mosquito bites."
Last year, there were six cases of WNV in humans and the virus itself was discovered in 67 Massachusetts communities in nine counties just this year.
Michigan
With 47 cases reported across Michigan, the state saw its second and third deaths this past Thursday. Once again, the deceased were elderly, aged 69 and 84 respectively.
Angela Minicuci, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Community Health, reveals that "This is the highest number of human cases we've had up to this point in the season since 2002, which is the year it first appeared in humans in Michigan."
According to professor of microbiology and entomology at Michigan State University: "there are no public resources in this [fight against WNV] in southeast Michigan," making the containment of the illness an uphill battle.
The Detroit Free Press reports that in areas with control programs, just 4 in 1,000 mosquitos carry the virus. Meanwhile 28 for every 1,000 in non-controlled areas are infected. 31 in every 1,000 mosquitos carry WNV, in comparison to the 9 per 1,000 in Midland County and 1 per 1,000 in Saginaw, adds the site.
Midland Country itself has $1.5 dedicated to mosquito control, contrary to Detroit, Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb's education based programs.
South Carolina
In South Carolina, there have been 28 cases of WNV. The state, which usually averages less than seven cases per year, saw most of the virus' instances along its coast.
Maine
In Main, the CDC found the second infected mosquito pool this year in Cumberland County. The first was found in York County last week. Maine has never recorded a case of WNV.
Connecticut
In Connecticut, West Nile infected mosquitos have been found along 41 of the state's towns. Last year they were only discovered in 30 towns, with nine cases of WNV recorded. The most recent victims were between the ages 50-59, and suffered from encephalitis.
Dr. Jewel Mullen, Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, states: "August is when people are usually infected with West Nile virus in Connecticut."
New York
New York has seen eleven instances of WNV this year, including one fatality. The cases were located in Erie County, Buffalo, Nassau, Onandaga, Oswego, Suffolk County, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island.
Texas
Texas has been hit the hardest, with 586 cases of WNV, including 21 deaths. Texas accounts for about half of the fatalities from the virus this year.
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