West Nile Virus Strikes Eight in NYC

Eight cases of West Nile virus in humans have been detected across New York City as of Monday, the New York Times is reporting.

According to the tally kept by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOH), six individuals have contracted West Nile neuroinvasive disease, which causes severe muscle weakness. Two more have been diagnosed with West Nile fever, which causes some illness but without affecting the central nervous system. Evidence of the virus has also been found in samples from one blood donor.

This is roughly the same number of cases reported at this time in 2011, but down significantly from 2010 when 42 people were sickened over the course of the summer.

On Friday, Dr. Waheed Bajwa, executive director of the DOH's Office of Vector Surveillance and Control, in Windsor Terrace to discuss his office's control efforts. He said that while much of the rest of the country is being subjected to the affects of , New York City's prevention efforts are paying off with a lower rate of occurence than the last two years.