One new West Nile virus case reported in state

Published 12:19 am Saturday, August 4, 2007

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — One new human case of West Nile virus was reported Friday by the Mississippi Department of Health.

The infected person lives in Madison County, according to a news release.

The release said the Mississippi Department of Health lab received a number of specimens to run this week but due to a technical problem in the lab, the tests will be run next week.

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Fourteen cases of West Nile virus have been reported in the state since April and one person has died.

So far West Nile virus cases have been reported in: Lawrence (1), Madison (2), Jones (1), Scott (2), Rankin (3), Adams (1), Forrest (1) Stone (1) and Smith (1) counties.

‘‘August traditionally begins the peak period of West Nile virus in Mississippi,’’ said interim State Health Officer Dr. Ed Thompson.

The Centers for Disease Control recently announced West Nile virus cases are up four times over last year at this time with three deaths across the country.

Health officials had counted only 33 cases nationally by late July last year, but it turned out to be the worst season since the record year 2003.

At least 177 people died from West Nile in 2006 out of 4,269 cases, while 264 people died out of nearly 10,000 cases in 2003.

Only about one in five infected people get sick. Severe symptoms including neck stiffness, disorientation, coma and paralysis.

The state Health Department also reported that it found infected mosquitoes caught in traps placed in Hinds and Forrest Counties.