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In 2012, after having only one case in the preceding 2 years, Dallas, Texas, experienced its worst-ever epidemic of West Nile virus (WNV) infection, with 398 cases of WNV illness and 19 deaths. Could anything have been done to prevent this epidemic? To address this question, investigators reviewed prospectively collected human and mosquito WNV surveillance data and local weather data for 2002 through 2012.
The demographic and clinical characteristics of the 2012 WNV cases were similar to those reported in previous outbreaks, although symptoms in the first cases began in June, a month earlier than in most years. The first WNV-positive mosquito pool was detected in May — also earlier than in typical seasons. The WNV mosquito infection rate pea…