West Nile virus spreads further southwestern and kills 7 in Arizona

PHOENIX (AP) – West Nile virus is increasingly detected in the southwestern United States following a rainy winter, with a record number of cases in Maricopa County, Arizona, and at least seven deaths in the United States. the entire state this year, according to the latest public health data released on Friday.

Figures from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that Arizona has the highest number of cases among all states this year.

Arizona's updated public health statistics released this week list Maricopa with more cases of infected people than any county, with 135 confirmed and probable cases across the country.

He said seven people were dead. The ministry warned on its chart that the numbers are subject to change.

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Southern Nevada is also part of the "hot zone" of the virus, with 28 cases reported in the Las Vegas area last week. Dispersal of cases has also been reported in other states, including California and Utah.

Dr. Cara M. Crist, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said on her blog that about 20 cases of West Nile virus were generally reported at the scale of the disease. State at that time. Crist added that the agency "works closely with local health departments, vector control agencies and CDC to strengthen our surveillance of these mosquito-borne diseases."

The current monsoon season in Arizona could lead to more mosquitoes positive for the virus, as well as more people infected by their bites, she said.

Mosquito populations carrying West Nile virus have been found in Utah as a result of weather conditions conducive to the development of insects. Several counties have reported cases of infected persons. No deaths have been reported.

Nadja Reissen, a biologist with the Salt Lake City Mosquito Control District, said expect to see fewer cases of West Nile virus in dry weather.

His agency has set up a variety of traps to attract and contain mosquitoes.

Health officials in New Mexico have reported that five more cases of West Nile virus detected in humans have been confirmed in the state since the first reported case in early August. Health officials in Montana also reported that West Nile virus was reported among people in Montana for the first time this season.

The virus can cause fever, headaches, body aches and nausea in more severe cases such as inflammation of the brain or spinal cord in rare cases. Most people infected with the virus will have no symptoms.

According to the CDC, there were 2,647 cases and 167 deaths nationwide in 2018.

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Morgan Smith, author of The Associated Press, is a contributor to Salt Lake City.