This Season has the Worst West Nile Virus Outbreak Ever

The Centers for Disease Control reports that 2012 has already had the highest number of West Nile cases since the virus was first detected in the United States in 1999. 

This week, mosquitos that tested positive for West Nile were found in Bucks and Montgomery. A tested positive for the virus last week, the eighth human case of the mosquito-borne disease identified in Pennsylvania this year.

In all, 47 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes this year, according to the CDC. As of Aug. 21, 38 states had reported 1,118 human infections resulting in 41 deaths.

Approximately 75 percent of the cases have been reported from five states (Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Dakota, and Oklahoma) and almost half of all cases reported are from Texas.

People can have a mild case of West Nile and not realize it. Mild symptoms, according to the Pennsylvania West Nile Virus Control Program, include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Body Aches
• Occasional Skin Rash
• Occasional Swollen Lymph Glands

More severe symptoms include:

• Headache
• High Fever
• Neck Stiffness
• Stupor
• Disorientation
• Coma
• Tremors
• Convulsions
• Muscle Weakness
• Paralysis

West Nile Virus: What You Need To Know