West Nile Virus Linked to Two Deaths in North Carolina, State Health Officials Say
USA Today reported on October 13 that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said two people in central North Carolina have died after contracting West Nile virus. The department told the newspaper the two deaths occurred in mid-September and early October, and declined to provide details such as where the individuals lived, their ages or genders, citing privacy concerns.
The department said older adults and people with underlying health conditions face the greatest risk of severe illness. Most infections cause no symptoms, but West Nile virus can lead to serious neurological disease and, in rare cases, death. Human cases in the state normally occur between July and September.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 1,172 human cases in the United States this year, including 250 in California and dozens in Texas, Arizona, Colorado and New York.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 罗利北卡罗来纳州议会大厦实景。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，XeresNelro 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0 授权
