West Nile Outbreak Worst Ever

Some scary records shouldn’t be broken. According to officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, this year’s outbreak of the West Nile virus is the worst the country has seen since cases of the illness were first documented in 1999. Just last week, the number of cases rose 23 percent to 1,993. In all, the number of deaths due to the virus is up to 87—almost half of which are in Texas. The CDC says the alarming number of new cases is probably due to a mild spring, exceptionally hot summer, and heavy regional rainfall.