West Nile cases continue to increase Published: Friday, November
23, 2012 at 6:40 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, November 23, 2012
at 6:40 p.m. New cases of West Nile virus are continuing to pop
up as Louisiana experiences one of the worst seasons for the
mosquito-borne virus in history. Though the weather has begun to
cool down, it has not get gotten cold enough to curb mosquito
populations. Fifteen more cases of West Nile were reported this
week, and state officials are warning residents to continue to
protect themselves against mosquito bites. West Nile is a rare
but serious disease carried by mosquitoes. Many people never
realize they are infected. But in its most serious form, the
disease can cause brain swelling and death. The state is
experiencing its most active year for West Nile since 2002, the
first year Louisiana had a major outbreak and began tracking the
disease. So far there have been 371 West Nile cases, of which
152 are the most-serious neuroinvasive form of the disease.
Sixteen people have died