West Nile virus

15 Stories

Health Officials Send Up a Red Flag on West Nile Virus

Cases are 40% higher than normal, with health officials warning to protect oneself against skeeters

(Newser) - West Nile virus infections are intense so far this year, with case counts running 40% higher than normal, health officials say. More than 770 cases, including about 490 severe cases, were reported as of early September, according to CDC data posted this week. About 550 cases—350 of them severe—...

Fauci: West Nile Nearly Wrecked My Life
Fauci:
West Nile
Nearly Wrecked
My Life
OPINION
Oct 7, 2024 8:25 AM CDT

Fauci: West Nile Nearly Wrecked My Life

He writes of the physical and cognitive toll, calls for more aggressive research

(Newser) - Anthony Fauci contracted the West Nile virus in August, and he reveals in a New York Times essay that it took a far greater toll on his health than previously disclosed:
  • "I could not swing my legs over the side of the bed to sit up without help from
...

One Mosquito Bite Leaves NH Man Fighting for His Life

Joe Casey said to have contracted EEE, West Nile, and St. Louis encephalitis

(Newser) - A New Hampshire man has died from a mosquito-borne virus and another is battling three such viruses apparently acquired from a single bite, shining further light on a problem experts say will continue to grow with climate change. Joe Casey of Kensington is on a ventilator in intensive care with...

Fauci Contracts West Nile Virus
Fauci Contracts
West Nile Virus
Aug 24, 2024 12:00 PM CDT

Fauci Contracts West Nile Virus

Infectious disease expert recovers at home after hospital stay

(Newser) - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime public health official who became the face of the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was hospitalized this month for six days with a case of West Nile virus. "He is now home and is recovering," a spokesperson said, per the...

Disease-Ridden Mosquitoes Are Swarming Vegas
Disease-Ridden Mosquitoes
Are Swarming Vegas
THE RUNDOWN
Jun 22, 2024 8:00 AM CDT

Disease-Ridden Mosquitoes Are Swarming Vegas

Record number of skeeters carrying West Nile virus are showing up in southern Nevada

(Newser) - Dozens of ZIP codes in south Nevada, including Las Vegas, are being overrun by mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus, in what NBC News says are record-busting numbers. Health officials say that, in recent weeks, 24,000 pools of mosquitoes were tested for the contagious disease in 25 ZIP codes in...

Lost Actress Dies of West Nile
Babylon 5, Lost Actress
Mira Furlan Is Dead
OBITUARY
Jan 22, 2021 12:35 PM CST

Babylon 5, Lost Actress Mira Furlan Is Dead

65-year-old suffered from complications of West Nile

(Newser) - Mira Furlan, an actress who starred in the 1990s sci-fi favorite Babylon 5 and the more recent TV mystery Lost, died Wednesday. Her family said the 65-year-old suffered complications from the West Nile virus, per the BBC . In a statement , Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski said the cast and...

Mosquitoes Do Not Care About Your Citronella Candles

Very few repellants actually repel the biting insect

(Newser) - It isn't just nice when mosquito repellents actually do what they claim to—it's necessary. The biting insects are one of nature's top disease vectors, spreading everything from yellow fever and dengue to Zika and malaria, and a group of scientists recently set out to test which...

Doctors: West Nile Virus May Have Dangerously Mutated

But CDC says it hasn't seen evidence of that

(Newser) - The West Nile virus appears to be ramping up attacks on the brain, say two doctors who have been treating sufferers of the virus for years, prompting fears the virus has mutated into a more threatening form. Mississippi doctor Art Leis tells the Washington Post that for the first time,...

West Nile Outbreak Now Second-Worst Year Ever

Also: Meningitis death toll hits 19

(Newser) - Two developments of note on the West Nile and meningitis outbreaks:
  • West Nile: Nearly 300 new cases surfaced last week, bringing this year's total to 4,531 and making it the second-worst year ever. The death toll rose by 15 to 183. It's the highest number of cases
...

West Nile Outbreak Worst on Record

Death toll is now 92

(Newser) - Ninety-two people have been killed so far this year by the West Nile virus, and 2,118 have reported infections, making 2012 the worst year on record, according to health officials. The number of West Nile deaths spiked 25% over the past week alone, reports USA Today . Infected patients have...

West Nile Death Toll Hits 66
 West Nile Death Toll Hits 66 
Aug 29, 2012 12:41 PM CDT

West Nile Death Toll Hits 66

People in hard-hit states urged to avoid mosquitoes

(Newser) - At least 66 people have now died in one of the worst West Nile virus outbreaks the US has ever seen. Infections shot up 40% this week, with a total of 1,590 now having fallen ill, USA Today reports. Health officials are warning Americans to do their best to...

West Nile Outbreak Is America's Biggest Ever

CDC says 41 now dead

(Newser) - In just one week, the CDC substantially increased the number of West Nile virus cases in the US, confirming that the country is currently "in one of the biggest West Nile virus outbreaks we have ever seen," says a CDC director. The number of cases now stands at...

Dallas Declares West Nile Virus Emergency

381 cases in Texas, with 16 reported deaths statewide

(Newser) - After suffering 10 deaths from the West Nile virus so far this year, Dallas County has declared a state of emergency, setting the stage for aerial anti-mosquito spraying. The disease is surging in the state, which has seen at least 381 cases this year, compared to just 27 last year;...

Fish Clean Up Mortgage Mess
 Fish Clean Up Mortgage Mess 
May 9, 2008 3:59 PM CDT

Fish Clean Up Mortgage Mess

Mosquito-eaters help keep abandoned pools from breeding disease

(Newser) - Stagnant pools bursting with mosquitoes have become a byproduct of the housing crisis, turning into breeding grounds for diseases like West Nile virus. But, the Wall Street Journal reports, there is a solution: Gambusia affinis, a natural predator, also known as the mosquito fish, that's hardy enough to police abandoned...

West Nile Turns Down Volume on Songbirds

Scientists hear trouble in quieter North American backyards

(Newser) - The West Nile virus is responsible for a major decline in North American bird populations, and the sudden quiet speaks volumes to environmental scientists. Beyond a lack of birdsong, a new National Zoo study reports, the decimation signals far-reaching ecological problems that have emerged since the mosquito-borne virus appeared on...

15 Stories
Most Read on Newser