West Nile Virus on the Rise in Louisiana

It's no shock that the mosquitoes are thick in the Ark-La-Tex.  When the conditions are perfect (for them) you can see them swarming in clouds by the thousands.  In the past decade, these annoying little blood-suckers have brought more than itching to the party.  The spread of the dreaded West Nile virus has been linked to these horrific winged beasts.  The blood-borne disease is easily spread from person to person through the mosquito's hypodermic needle-like proboscis (the little tube they use to suck you dry).

In some cases the disease can be deadly.  This year - the infection rate is more than twice what we saw in 2017.  So far, 53 cases have been reported in the Bayou state - where as last year at this time, there were only 21 cases.  According to the Shreveport Times, 7 of those cases are in Caddo Parish!  Even though we are experiencing a higher infection rate this year, we are doing much better as a state than we did in 2012.  That year, there were a staggering 397 reported cases of the virus.

Currently, there are no treatments for the infection.