West Nile Virus-Related Fatalities Reach Record High in Oklahoma

HOUSTON -- Health authorities confirmed on Tuesday two more West Nile virus-associated fatalities in Oklahoma, raising the state's death toll from the mosquito-borne illness to a record high of 11. According to the state health department, the confirmed cases this year have already reached 170, shattering the previous record of 107 set in 2007. In spite of the increase in the number of cases and deaths, health authorities stated that the rate of transmission of the illness has slowed because the cooler weather is limiting the activity of the Culex mosquitoes. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that for this year, a total of 4,249 cases and 168 fatalities have been reported, marking 2012 the worst year since the West Nile virus was detected in the U.S. in 1999. The virus was actually discovered in 1937 in Uganda. It causes severe neurological disorders in some cases. Signs and symptoms include headache, muscle weakness, nausea, dizziness, and sudden onset of fever.  ubAlert