151 cases of west nile declared today in idaho: Highest in the nation

Reported by the RSOE: GLOBAL DISASTER AND EMERGENCY DATABASE- there have been 151 cases of west nile virus declared in idaho, which is the highest in the nation. it has reached epidemic proportions and is at the highest risk level according to the state government.

here is some of the article:

Friday Gov. Jim Risch signed a disaster proclamation in response to one county's request for assistance after health officials are reporting 151 cases of West Nile Virus statewide. That's the highest number in the nation. Thursday, officials in Ada County voted to declare a state of emergency and to ask the governor to give them money and resources to deal with the problem. Commissioners are saying the number of cases is reaching epidemic proportions. The county sits at Risk Category 5 which is the highest risk level under the state's West Nile action plan.
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here is the link with more info and a pic of the infected areas:
West nile reaches epidemic levels in idaho

i would have thought that this type of thing would have been more of a problem in the southern states or coastal states, but i guess not. i live in illinois so i hope nothing comes this way.

what do you guys think about this?

Kind Regards,
Digitalgrl

[edit on 10/01/2004 by DigitalGrl]

The wiki entry is reporting about 192 cases

en.wikipedia.org...

United States: From 1999 through 2001, the CDC confirmed 149 cases of human West Nile virus infection, including 18 deaths. In 2002, a total of 4,156 cases were reported, including 284 fatalities. 13 cases in 2002 were contracted through blood transfusion. The cost of West Nile-related health care in 2002 was estimated at $200 million. The first human West Nile disease in 2003 occurred in June and one West Nile-infected blood transfusion was also identified that month. In the 2003 outbreak, 9,862 cases and 264 deaths were reported by the CDC. At least 30% of those cases were considered severe involving meningitis or encephalitis. In 2004, there were only 2,539 reported cases and 100 deaths. In 2005, there was a slight increase in the number of cases, with 3,000 cases and 119 deaths reported. In 2006, by August 8, 192 cases had been reported to the CDC with 6 deaths.

[edit on 12-8-2006 by infinite]

is that for the whole nation?

if so then, idaho is taking up 151 cases of it for just this year alone.
that is definatly not a good thing. also, wikipedia isnt always a reliable source, not saying it is wrong.

kind regards,
digitalgrl