Public Information Office
210 S. McDonald St. Suite 540
McKinney, TX  75069

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Leigh Hornsby, Public Information Officer
972-548-4772
publicrelations@collincountytx.gov

March 19, 2003

West Nile Virus 2002

(Austin, TX) - The Texas Department of Health is reporting 203 human cases of West Nile in 38 Texas counties in 2002. The last human case became ill in November. There were 12 deaths -- five from Harris County, two from Dallas County and one each from Hood, McLennan, Nueces, Randall and Tarrant counties. Of the 203 human cases, 104 were in Harris County. Twenty-seven became ill in July, 81 in August, 65 in September, 25 in October and five in November. The virus was detected in humans, birds, mosquitoes or horses in 213 of Texas' 254 counties. The only confirmed 2003 Texas case of West Nile was a horse in Calhoun County.

http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/zoonosis/diseases/Arboviral/westNile/

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