States
Respond to CDC's Prediction
By THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:04 p.m. ET
ATLANTA (AP) -- Health officials worked Friday to calm public
fear of the West Nile virus after the government predicted 1,000
people could be infected with the potentially deadly disease this
year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday there
have been 251 human cases of the virus reported to the CDC,
including 11 deaths. The virus has been found in every state east of
the Rocky Mountains.
A CDC West Nile expert, Dr. Lyle Petersen, said the disease's
peak may not come for several weeks and that ``a lot more cases''
could be reported before cooler weather kills the disease-carrying
insects.
Petersen said up to 10 percent of people diagnosed with West Nile
could die from it -- meaning potentially 100 fatalities this year.
In coastal Georgia, mosquito control experts said dozens of
people have called with questions about West Nile.
``People are very, very aware of the outbreak, and they're
concerned,'' said Henry Lewandowski, director of Savannah's Chatham
County Mosquito Control Commission.
Eight people in Louisiana, two in Mississippi and one in Illinois
have died of the disease this year, health officials said.
Michigan on Friday reported its first human case of West Nile.
Michigan officers said two elderly men had suspected cases of the
virus, though both were expected to recover.
In Texas, one of the hardest-hit states this year with 16 human
cases, Houston health officials hope to publicize prevention methods
without causing panic.
``We're not trying to alarm people,'' said Sandy Kachur of the
Harris County Public Health Services. ``We tell people in the
summertime they always need to wear sunscreen when they go outside.
Now it looks like it's almost going to be that way with insect
repellent, too. It's something we're always going to have to be
aware of from now on.''
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On the Net:
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov
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