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Article: West Nile neurologic disease gaining ground: in some states, the incidence of WNV encephalitis is at least 25-fold greater than herpes encephalitis.(INFECTIOUS DISEASES)(Report)
- Article from:
- Internal Medicine News
- Article date:
- September 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 International Medical News Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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VAIL, COLO. -- West Nile virus has very quickly become the most important cause of arbovirus encephalitis in the United States.
West Nile virus (WNV) first appeared in the Western Hemisphere in New York City in 1999. Yet today the overall frequency of West Nile encephalitis in the United States approaches that of herpes simplex encephalitis, Dr. Kenneth L. Tyler observed at a conference on pediatric infectious diseases sponsored by the Children's Hospital, Denver.
"If you account for the fact that most West Nile cases are concentrated in the summer months and in certain geographic areas, whereas herpes of course is year-round and not with any geographic ...