Mosquitoes ....nasty bits of work....here a story for you...Health officials say the number of people with West Nile virus in Louisiana is now at 58, with four deaths.
The announcement came Friday morning at a news conference in Slidell. Officials say the potentially deadly virus has spread to virtually every part of the state, including New Orleans.
Earlier this week, health officials confirmed that an 83-year-old Baton Rouge woman had died from West Nile. The three most recent victims include two elderly men and a man in his mid-50s.
Meanwhile, Gov. Mike Foster has declared a statewide emergency, a move he said could help bring in federal money to fight the nation's second-worst epidemic of the virus.
Foster said he hopes the declaration will pave the way for federal cash to help local communities that are using up their money for mosquito spraying far faster than usual.
New York, where the first and worst epidemic occurred in 1999 and was followed by a smaller outbreak in 2000, got $5 million in emergency money in late 2000.
New Jersey, which also had an outbreak in 2000, also got $5 million that year.
West Nile can cause encephalitis, the potentially fatal brain inflammation, as well as milder illnesses.
Mosquitoes spread the virus from infected birds to humans, who can then develop deadly swelling of the brain.
Most people develop only flu-like symptoms and some don't get sick at all. Humans can't pass the virus to others.
jj.........