Latest West Nile Stories

Campaign Alerts Public of the Threat of West Nile Virus and Other Vector-Borne Diseases SACRAMENTO, Calif., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mosquitoes and warm weather go hand in hand. Coinciding with the arrival of mosquito season, the California State Legislature declared the week of April 21-27, 2013 as West Nile Virus and Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week in California. West Nile virus is a disease transmitted by mosquitoes that can result in debilitating cases of meningitis and...

In 2010, 35 people in Greece died from a West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak, with a further 262 laboratory-confirmed human cases. A new article published in BioMedCentral's open access journal Virology Journal examines whether wild or migratory birds could have been responsible for importing and amplifying the deadly virus. WNV is a flavivirus of major public health concern, spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes. Discovered in Uganda in 1937, it was only sporadically reported up until...

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Newly released West Nile virus data suggests 2012 is on par to becoming one of the worst years for the virus in US history. As of October 2, all 48 contiguous US states have reported infections in people, birds or mosquitoes. And of the 3,969 cases of the disease infecting humans, 163 have resulted in death, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This year’s outbreak is the largest through the...

Insect Shield® Repellent Technology helps explain the symptoms to watch for, how to stay protected and who is most at risk. Seattle, WA (PRWEB) October 01, 2012 According to the CDC, as of September 25, 2012, 48 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. 3,545 cases have been reported thus far in 2012. This number is the highest of West Nile virus disease cases reported to CDC through the last week in September since 2003. Where is the biggest...

InBios International, Inc. announced today that it has continued to ramp up production of its FDA cleared West Nile Detect IgM Capture ELISA due to increasing customer demand for this product. Seattle, WA (PRWEB) September 25, 2012 During this recent outbreak, InBios has supplied hundreds of West Nile diagnostic kits to many reference and state public health laboratories. InBios is committed to providing its customers with West Nile kits on a timely basis and will continue to maintain its...

With all of the cases of West Nile you hear about on the news it is tempting to load up on bug spray every time you go outside, but by doing this what are the tradeoffs? Insect repellents come in all different formulations from all natural ingredients like citronella or eucalyptus to using manmade chemicals like picaridin and DEET. Many of these bug sprays are considered safe enough by the EPA for limited use at controlled levels, but what does that mean? (PRWEB) September 20, 2012 With...

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online As of last week, there have been more than 2,636 cases of West Nile virus (WNV) with 118 deaths reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus has also sickened more than 30,000 people since first showing up in the US in 1999. Dr. Cedric Spak, an expert in infectious diseases at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas has reported that nearly 100 WNV victims have been treated at Baylor this year,...

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online US cases of West Nile virus (WNV) have climbed more than a third in the past week, according to federal health officials on Wednesday. However, there are signs that the worst is over and numbers of cases are expected to decline. “We think the worst part of the epidemic is behind us,” said Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. Unless we see a...

Emergency Physicians Urge Public To Know Symptoms of West Nile Virus WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the West Nile Virus outbreak set to be the worst in U.S. history, the nation's emergency physicians urge the public to take precautions now to protect from being infected. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100616/DC22034LOGO-d) "Right now, the CDC is seeing cases in practically every state in the country," said Dr. David Seaberg, president of the...

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online US cases of West Nile virus (WNV) have risen 40 percent in just one week, with 1,590 confirmed infections, and 66 confirmed deaths, up from 47 last week, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday. This is the highest case count through the last week of August since the virus was first detected in 1999, and nearly half of all infections have so far occurred in Texas, with 894 confirmed cases...