News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – New cases of West Nile virus (WNV) disease and resulting deaths rose slightly in the past week, ending 2 weeks of declines in the numbers, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) weekly update today.

The report shows that 424 cases, with 16 deaths, were reported in the past week, compared with 403 cases and 13 deaths the week before. The totals for 2012 have now reached 3,969 cases and 163 deaths.

(CIDRAP News) – Faced with a dramatic rise in West Nile virus illnesses and deaths and following medical advice, Dallas County, Tex., officials recently approved the use of aerial spraying for the first time in decades to control mosquito populations.

(CIDRAP News) – Public health leaders, recalling and reflecting on the anthrax letter attacks of 2001 in a lengthy report released today, say the nation is better prepared to respond to such an emergency than it was 10 years ago, but their confidence is tinged with fear of slipping backward in the current era of budget cutting.

(CIDRAP News) – A West Nile virus (WNV) seroprevalence study of Italian organ donors revealed that 1.2% of 1,248 serum samples were positive and that some of the donors who had been exposed to the virus were from regions where infection wasn't thought to be a risk.