2009 Cases of West Nile Virus Making Appearances

With people still reeling from the swine flu epidemic, it feels too soon to start thinking about West Nile virus but alas, the time is upon us. The first West Nile virus cases of 2009 have already been reported in isolated parts of the county and it is unknown 2009 Cases of West Nile Virus Making Appearances at this point how many cases might occur.

West Nile Virus (WNV) began appearing in the U.S. in 1999 with an outbreak in New York City. It has since spread to all 48 contiguous states. In 2002, the number of people affected with WNV suddenly increased to 4,156. In 2003 the number of people doubled to 9,862 diagnosed and 264 people died. Since then the outbreaks have lessened considerably to less than 1,500 occurrences and less than 34 deaths by mid-November of 2008.

WNV is caused by a virus that is spread by mosquitoes and ticks that have fed on infected birds. Humans or animals bitten by mosquitoes carrying WNV become infected as the virus is passed on to them. It can take 3-14 days for symptoms to appear.

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