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CNN Live Today

West Nile Virus Worse Than Ever

Aired August 09, 2002 - 10:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: More than half of the nation's confirmed cases of West Nile virus have emerged in the past week, and that's fueled some dread that the record outbreak that we are looking at right now is only going to get worse in the remaining weeks of summer.
Joining us now with some more perspective is CNN medical news correspondent Rea Blakey, joining us now from Washington.

Good morning, Rea.

REA BLAKEY, CNN MEDICAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.

Illinois reported its second human case of that disease late yesterday. It was a 57-year-old man who become critically ill with encephalitis, swelling of the brain. We've certainly heard from Louisiana officials that they expect they will have even more cases as the summer carries on.

In the meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced the federal government, the CDC, is making another $10 million available to states to fight the virus that is transmitted by a mosquito bite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY THOMPSON, HHS SECRETARY: We are going to leave it up very much to the discretion of the state health departments in those states. The state of Louisiana, of course, is going to want to use some of that money for the eradication of mosquito beds and want to use some money to put out communications in regards to about the disease and how you can protect yourself. Each state will be able to use that money to the best of their ability to protect their citizens. And that's how it will be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLAKEY: That bring CDC's total budget for anti-West Nile virus efforts to $27 million.

In Washington, D.C., the first West Nile virus case announced yesterday. Public health dollars in this city are being spent on door-to-door canvassing, telling residents to dump any standing water around properties and then also efforts to kill mosquito eggs in the D.C. area with larvacides are being stepped up. Crews are working around the clock. Two of the hardest-hit states, Louisiana and Mississippi, have requested and received more money from the feds to supplement their local efforts, nearly $3.5 million for Louisiana, $300,000 for Mississippi.

So far this year, 34 states and the District of Columbia have been affected by the virus. The virus is present there. Basically extends -- the virus itself -- east of an imaginary line that would be from Winnipeg, Canada, basically down to Houston, Texas. All of the states west apparently don't have confirmed presence of the virus.

But just for a count of the human toll, 114 human cases, Louisiana reporting 71, Mississippi 28, Texas reporting 12. Illinois has two now. Alabama has one. All five deaths that have occurred this year have occurred in Louisiana. And the CDC is still confirming that case in D.C.

Now, according to the data that the CDC has been able to analyze so far, the median age among these human cases is about 55 years old. That's 10 years younger than the median age of previous years. CDC officials don't know why. Meanwhile, 60 percent of this year's cases, Leon, have occurred in men, with illness symptoms appearing as early as June 10.

So it is an early season. Looks like it's going to be an aggressive one and it's going to last longer.

HARRIS: Rea Blakey, thank you very much. Appreciate that report. Have a good weekend.

BLAKEY: You too.

HARRIS: Rea Blakey, in Washington.

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