West Nile Emergencies Declared in Colorado Areas, AP Reports

West Nile Stats Don't Add Up

Aug. 19, 2003

(Bloomberg) -- Two Colorado counties have declared public health emergencies and the state requested federal money to prepare for the peak West Nile virus season expected in two to three weeks, the Associated Press reported.

Officials of Larimer and Weld counties, both located in northern Colorado and each of which has had two deaths from the disease, said they sought to alert the public to the seriousness of the threat, AP said.

The state has asked for $4.5 million in federal government funds, mainly for mosquito spraying, AP said, citing Doug Benevento of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Colorado has reported 392 human West Nile cases and seven deaths this year, the largest in the nation, AP said. The numbers are bigger than the 257 cases and six deaths confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since the state counts mild cases of the virus that are excluded by some other states, AP reported.

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