美国西尼罗病发病、死亡数继续攀升

截至9月4日，美国已有87人死于西尼罗病——比8月28日更新全美数据时又增加了22人。

美国疾病预防控制中心(CDC)媒介传播感染性疾病部门的主管Lyle Petersen博士在新闻发布会上介绍，罹患这种感染性疾病的总人数也在继续增加，9月4日报告了403例新发感染患者，从而使总患病人数增至1,993例。

在这些患者中，1,069例(54%)被归类为神经侵袭性疾病，924例(46%)为非神经侵袭性疾病。
 

截至9月4日，美国仅剩下阿拉斯加和夏威夷这2个州尚未报告发现西尼罗病毒(如图)。其他的州均已报告在蚊、鸟或人中发现该病毒。

“2012年已成为自1999年首次在美国发现西尼罗病以来该病患者数量最多的一年。”超过的70%的患者来自6个州：德克萨斯、南达科他、密西西比、俄克拉荷马、路易斯安那和密歇根，仅德克萨斯州就占了接近一半。

德克萨斯州卫生服务部部长David Lakey博士指出，该病仍在德克萨斯州肆虐。自8月28日以来，德克萨斯州又报告新增了230例患者，使该州的患者总数增至1,013例；其中神经侵袭性疾病患者增加了69例，总数增至485例；病死人数增加了9例，总数增至40例。
“我们发现有1/4的死亡病例是此前1周内发生的，不幸的是这一数字仍在增加，还会有更多神经侵袭性疾病患者和死亡病例出现。”值得欣慰的是，“有迹象显示，德克萨斯州北部地区已经熬过了疫情最高点”。

Lakey博士介绍称，通过飞机喷药已显著降低了部分地区的蚊虫数量。目前德克萨斯州北部蚊子中仅有6%携带西尼罗病毒，而这一比例在前一次采样中高达93%。“但在该州的其他地区情况仍不容乐观。”

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By: MICHELE G. SULLIVAN, Clinical Neurology News Digital Network

A total of 87 people have now died from West Nile disease – an additional 22 fatalities since the last national update on Aug. 28.

The overall number of infections also continues to increase, with 403 new cases reported as of Sept. 4. The total case count now stands at 1,993, Dr. Lyle Petersen reported during a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention press briefing.
Of these, 1,069 (54%) have been classified as neuroinvasive disease and 924 (46%) as nonneuroinvasive disease said Dr. Petersen, director of CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Disease.


Only two states – Alaska and Hawaii – have not reported the virus, Dr. Petersen said. Every other state has reported infections in mosquitoes, birds, or people.

"The cases reported thus far in 2012 are the highest number of West Nile virus disease cases ever reported to CDC through the first week in September, since the disease was first detected in the U.S. since 1999," he said. More than 70% of the cases are in six states (Texas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Michigan), with nearly half in Texas alone.

The disease continues to ravage that state, according to Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. Since Aug. 28, Texas has reported an additional 230 cases, bringing that state’s total to 1,013. There also were 69 more cases of neuroinvasive disease, for a total of 485.

Nine more people died in Texas, he added during the briefing. The total death count in Texas now stands at 40. It’s the worst outbreak of West Nile since 2003, when 40 people died from the disease during the entire event.

"When we look at data, a quarter of the deaths were reported in last week alone. Unfortunately that count will continue to go up. There will be more cases of neuroinvasive disease and more deaths."

Some relief may be in sight, he said. "There are some indicators that the disease in the northern part of the state may have peaked."

Aerial spraying in some areas decreased the numbers of mosquitoes significantly Dr. Lakey said. In northern Texas, recent mosquito pool sampling showed that just 6% of the insects carried the virus – a significant decrease from the 93% infection rate in the last pool samplings.

"In other parts of the state, however, a large number of pools are still infected," he said, including a 28% rate in the area of Austin and Travis County.