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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – State College, Pa. — 11 June 2009 — AccuWeather.com reports much of the United States has had an increase in rainfall totals this year, which may lead to a higher population of mosquitoes this summer. In turn, this could also lead to more cases of West Nile Virus.
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in pools of stagnant water. The more rain, the more pools of water.
So far this year only one case of the disease has been reported. However, 2008 had a total of 1,356 combined cases with 44 deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The five states with the most cases were California, Arizona, Colorado, Mississippi and Texas.
Many states in the South, where the warmer temperatures and higher humidity are a haven for insects, were still in the throws of a several-year drought last year. The drought led to a lack of small, stagnant pools of water.
Recent, regular rainfall has led to more small pools of water, which in turn, will become stagnant with time. Formerly dry, low-lying areas are becoming swampy again.
During the period from Jan. 1, 2008, through June 9, 2008, Charleston, S.C., had 74 percent of normal rainfall. From Jan. 1, 2009, through June 9, 2009, rainfall was 101 percent of normal. Likewise, Atlanta also has 101 percent of normal precipitation so far this year, with 78 percent in for the same period in 2008.
West Nile Virus is named after the West Nile district in Africa. The first documented case of the disease was reported in Uganda in 1937.
The virus can be spread several ways, including human-to-human transmission, but mosquitoes are responsible for most of the transmissions. Only the female mosquitoes bite.
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