Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings declared Wednesday that the city is facing an emergency as the West Nile virus spreads, killing at least 14 people in Texas and 26 nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Dallas declaration clears the way for aerial spraying to kill the infected mosquitos that carry the disease.
The United States is experiencing its biggest spike in West Nile virus since 2004, with 241 cases of the disease reported nationwide this year so far, including four deaths, health officials said last weekend, before the latest totals.
Of the 42 states that have reported infections in people, birds or mosquitoes, 80% of them have been in Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement. The CDC listed a breakdown of infections by state.
"It is not clear why we are seeing more activity than in recent years," said Marc Fischer, a CDC medical epidemiologist. "Regardless of the reasons for the increase, people should be aware of the West Nile virus activity in their area and take action to protect themselves and their family."
The virus is transmitted through infected mosquitoes.
In the United States, most infections occur between June and September, and peak in August, according to the CDC.
Symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or rash.
"Less than 1% develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues)," the CDC said.
Those at greater risk are people older than 50 and those with conditions such as cancer, diabetes and kidney disease, or with organ transplants.
There are no medications to treat West Nile virus or vaccines to prevent infection. People with milder illnesses typically recover on their own, but those more seriously affected may need hospital care.
Health experts say prevention measures include avoiding mosquito bites, using insect repellant and getting rid of insect breeding sites.
I'm thinking along the lines of less birds means more mosqitoes....spraying insectisides will likely kill off more birds or make them sterile so that the next year ......yep, even more mosquitoes....and it just continues. When will we learn? Never it seems.
Suggest you do a bit of real research rather than play familiar and misguided information. West Nile virus is fatal to birds – birds eating infected mosquitoes is NOT a viable solution.
@mre2. Actually, birds eating mosquitoes and people wearing long sleeves and pants outside after dusk and using mosquito repellent is a better solution than spraying. For one thing, there is only a small fraction of mosquito population that is infected with a virus. For another, birds don't get infected with West Nile by eating mosquitos. They get infected, just like people, through mosquito bites.
yep, we'll never, ever learn.
@ olf big, actually, its the mosquitos that bit the birds a.d infect their blood stream with virus.
what do sterile birds have to do with mosquitoes? lol. You think the mosquito can sense they are sterile and say "ew we don't want that" LOL
Mary, that's what he said.
"They get infected, just like people, through mosquito bites."
west nile mosquito the new love bug...
it's dallas texas, why should we care?
I've always hated living in Dallas...one more reason to leave this cesspool of a city ASAP
At least Dallas is spraying for it thats more than they will do in the hillbilly state of Oklahoma. And there has been alot of cases there but they arent going to spend a dime on it.
The internet was made for you.
If it breathes, it's an animal. You're the moron.
Bees ARE animals...Kingdom: A...N...I...MAILIA....
Actually YOU are, Plants 'breathe' and they aren't Animals.