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05 November 2012 09:41
The US outbreak of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus is slowing, though the numbers of people infected continue to grow
There's mixed news on the West Nile virus outbreak in the United States. While the number of people infected by the mosquito-carrying disease is growing, the expansion of the 2012 outbreak is losing steam, according to US health officials.
A total of 4,891 people have now been infected with the illness, compared to the 4,725 infections last week, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. However, the CDC data shows a slowing down of the outbreak as the 166 new cases in the last week are below the 199 cases reported the previous week. Also down was the week's death toll, which was four, compared to the 36 of the previous week.
The CDC reports that slightly more than 50 percent of this year's cases have been the severe neuroinvasive type of the virus, which can lead to meningitis and encephalitis. The less dramatic variety of the West Nile Fever is seldom deadly and causes symptoms similar to those of the flu. Ten states have borne the brunt of 70 per cent of the cases: California, Colorado, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas. A spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, Chris Van Deusen, said, "We're still seeing new cases, but we're seeing the pace slow down quite a bit." Travellers to the US and these states in particular should consider taking out medical travel insurance before departing.
16 August 2018
Holidaymakers in the UK will be hit by more train price hikes from next year, after the Government announced ticket prices will increase by 3.2% in January.
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15 August 2018
A simple blood test could help GPs detect a rare form of bone marrow cancer much earlier, a new study suggests.
14 August 2018
Passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport last month faced queues of over two and a half hours at passport control, new figures have revealed.
11 August 2018
Hundreds of Ryanair flights will not take off as planned on Friday due to pilot strikes in five countries.
10 August 2018
Fad diets that cut out carbs while increasing fat consumption could lead to an increased risk of diabetes, according to new research.
09 August 2018
HIV testing has become even more accessible after a self-testing kit was made available from a High Street retailer.
08 August 2018
Women patients are more likely to survive a heart attack if they are treated by a female doctor, a new US study has revealed.
07 August 2018
The head of British Airways has branded two-hour queues facing travellers at Heathrow's passport control as a "border farce."
04 August 2018
Simple factors such as gender and body mass can help doctors to personalise care for patients with type 2 diabetes and avoid harmful side effects, according to a study.
03 August 2018
Gatwick Express must no longer claim it runs "non-stop to Victoria station in half an hour" and "in just 30 minutes" unless it can achieve the time in most cases, a watchdog has ruled.
02 August 2018
A charity is calling for greater access to respite support after it emerged that 72% of Britain's 700,000 young carers feel lonely and isolated during the summer holidays.
01 August 2018
A plan to build new rail links with Heathrow Airport and connect Windsor's two train stations have been submitted to the Government.