US West Nile deaths, infections rise at slower pace
Purchase this article for republication
Buy SPH photos
A Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito is shown on a human finger in this undated handout photograph from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The number of West Nile virus deaths and infections continued to rise in the United States (US) last week, but at a slower pace, health authorities said on Wednesday. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The number of West Nile virus deaths and infections continued to rise in the United States (US) last week, but at a slower pace, health authorities said on Wednesday.
As of Tuesday, 3,545 cases of the mosquito-borne disease were reported this year, including 147 fatalities, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
This compares to 3,142 reported the previous week, a 13 per cent increase compared to a 30 per cent rise earlier in September.
It is "the highest number of West Nile virus disease cases reported... through the last week in September since 2003", the CDC said.
