West Nile Virus Facts

**Article originally published at CNN.com

West Nile virus is an illness spread by infected mosquitoes. More than 1,700 people have died of West Nile virus in the United States since it was first detected in New York City in 1999.

West Nile Virus Facts:

• Symptoms of West Nile infection include: fatigue, fever, headache, body aches, rash and swollen lymph nodes.
• Those who become ill may develop West Nile encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.
• There is no vaccine or specific treatment for West Nile virus.
• According to the CDC, only 1% of people bitten by West Nile-infected mosquitoes become seriously ill.
• 1937 – The first case of West Nile virus is reported in Uganda. It is common throughout Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East.
• August 1999 – The first cases of West Nile encephalitis in the Western Hemisphere are reported in the Bronx and Queens boroughs of New York City. It is not known how the virus arrived in the United States.

West Nile Virus Statistics:

• 2014 – 1,444 cases of West Nile virus have been reported in 47 states and the District of Columbia, with 49 deaths.
• 2013 – 2,469 cases of West Nile virus were reported in 47 states and the District of Columbia, with 119 deaths.
• 2012 – 5,674 cases of West Nile Virus were reported in 48 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia with 286 deaths.
• 2011 – 712 cases of West Nile virus were reported in 44 states and the District of Columbia with 43 deaths.
• 2010 – 1,021 cases of West Nile virus were reported in 40 states and the District of Columbia with 57 deaths.
• 2009 – 722 cases of West Nile virus were reported in 37 states and the District of Columbia, with 33 fatalities.
• 2008 – 1,356 cases of West Nile virus were reported in 42 states, with 44 fatalities.
• 2007 – 3,598 cases of West Nile virus were reported in 43 states, with 121 fatalities.
• 2006 – 4,269 cases of West Nile virus were reported in 43 states and the District of Columbia with 177 fatalities.
• 2005 – 3,000 cases of West Nile virus were reported in 42 states with 119 fatalities.
• 2004 – 2,535 cases of West Nile Virus were reported in 40 states and the District of Columbia with 98 fatalities.
• 2003 – 9,862 cases of West Nile Virus were identified in the United States with 264 fatalities.
• 2002 – 4,156 cases of West Nile Virus were reported in 39 states and the District of Columbia with 284 fatalities.
• 1999-2001 – 149 cases of West Nile virus were reported in the United States with 18 fatalities.

As you can see the growth of West Nile Virus has not stopped within the last decade. Only in the last two years has some measure of control seemed to be achieved from West Nile virus. Still, the need for awareness and prevention is there. If local authorities alert you to the presence of West Nile virus take the threat seriously.