(Wikipedia)
West Nile virus cases are continuing to rise in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The number of cases has risen to 5,207, and 234 people have died as a result, the agency said Tuesday.
These are up from last week's numbers of 5,128 cases and 229 deaths.
Fifty-one percent of cases are classified as neuroinvasive disease (meningitis or encephalitis), and 49 percent are considered non-invasive. West Nile Fever, the less severe form, causes flu-like symptoms and is rarely lethal.
The majority of cases have been reported from these 13 states: Texas, California, Louisiana, Illinois, Mississippi, Michigan, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, Ohio and New York. One-third of cases have been reported from Texas, the agency said.
The agency reported at the end of October the majority of the disease was concentrated in 10 states, and the outbreak's pace appeared to be slowing.
Visit the CDC's website for more information.
Reuters contributed to this article.
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