west nile virus

Although Angelina County has nowhere near as many cases of West Nile virus as there are in Dallas County, health officials in east Texas are doing everything they can to fight the spread of the virus and illness. The latest news is that state officials may help pay for aerial spraying for the mosquitoes.

As scary as the West Nile Virus sounds, it's a fact that at least 80 percent of people who get it don't know they have it.  Until recently, it was believed that most people who do contract West Nile fever recover and that's the end of it. The Houston Chronicle reports doctors at the Texas Medical Center in Houston are rethinking that belief.

Federal health officials say more serious cases of West Nile Virus have been reported in the United States this year than any year since 2004.  The Lufkin News reports through the end of July, 241 human cases have been reported in 22 states, including four deaths. Most of these cases have been in Texas, especially in the Dallas area.  Some were in Angelina County.