Final 2012 West Nile numbers released by CDC, Israeli researchers suggest ‘global warming’ contributes to the outbreak of mosquito-borne disease
As promised, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released the final data for West Nile Virus in the US for 2012.
According to the federal health agency numbers, “In 2012, all 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 5,674 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 286 deaths, were reported to CDC. Of these, 2,873 (51%) were classified as neuroinvasive disease (such as meningitis or encephalitis) and 2,801 (49%) were classified as non-neuroinvasive disease. The numbers of neuroinvasive, non-neuroinvasive, and total West Nile virus disease cases reported in 2012 are the highest since 2003.”
The number of deaths is the highest since cases of WNV disease were first detected in the United States in 1999.
In 2012, 62 percent of all reported West Nile virus cases—were concentrated in California, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas. Texas reported 33 percent (1,868) of all reported West Nile virus cases in 2012.
Dallas County, Texas alone accounted for 405 human cases of WNV.
The CDC says, “Last summer’s outbreak likely resulted from many factors, including higher-than-normal temperatures that influenced mosquito and bird abundance, the replication of the virus in its host mosquitoes, and interactions of birds and mosquitoes in hard-hit areas. Because the factors that lead to West Nile virus disease outbreaks are complex, CDC cannot predict where and when they will occur.”
New research from the University of Haifa in Israel piggybacks on the CDC’s “higher-than-normal temperatures” statement.
In the study commissioned by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm, researchers found that rising temperatures have a more considerable contribution than humidity, to the spread of the disease, while the effect of rain was inconclusive.
“These results are an additional testament that global warming contributes to the outbreak of mosquito-borne and other temperature-sensitive vector-borne diseases. The indications to this are piling up in different parts around the globe”, says Dr. Shlomit Paz, who led this research. These findings were recently published in the online scientific journal, Plos One.
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[…] In 2012, all 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 5,674 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 286 deaths, were reported to CDC. […]
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[…] Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2,374 WNV cases and 114 deaths. This was a far cry from the 2012 outbreak that had a final total of 5,674 cases of West Nile virusdisease in people, including 286 […]
[…] the 2012 West Nile virus (WNV) outbreak that affected 5,674 people and killing 286, Dallas County was considered the epicenter of the […]
[…] Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2,374 WNV cases and 114 deaths in 2013. This was a far cry from the 2012 outbreak that had a final total of 5,674 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 286 […]
[…] Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 2,374 WNV cases and 114 deaths. This was a far cry from the 2012 outbreak that had a final total of 5,674 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 286 […]
[…] total West Nile situation in the US is a far cry from the 2012 outbreak that had a final total of 5,674 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 286 […]
[…] In 2012, all 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 5,674 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 286 deaths, were reported to CDC. […]
[…] In 2012, all 48 contiguous states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. A total of 5,674 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 286 deaths, were reported to CDC. […]
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