15 West Nile Viruses Cases So Far
Posted on July 18, 2006
West Nile Virus is off to a slow start this year with just fifteen cases reported. Nine of them are the more serious meningitis or encephalitis forms. West Nile Virus usually peaks in the late Summer and early Fall periods so it is still too early to say whether this season will be mild or whether some states will have serious West Nile Virus problems. Here is a look at the outbreaks from previous years. 1999 was the first year West Nile Virus was seen in humans in the United States.
2005: 3000 cases, 119 fatalities
2004: 2539 cases, 100 fatalities
2003: 9862 cases, 262 fatalities
2002: 4156 cases, 284 fatalities
2001: 66 cases, 9 fatalities
2000: 21 cases, 2 fatalities
1999: 62 cases, 7 fatalities
The CDC's West Nile Virus resource which has a helpful FAQ for avoiding the disease can be here.