OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The
Oklahoma State Department of Health reports two additional deaths due to
the West Nile Virus and 20 new cases of the disease.
The department reported
Tuesday that five Oklahomans have now died as a result of the virus and
92 people have contracted the disease.
The numbers are approaching the record numbers of 107 cases and eight deaths recorded in 2007.
The department says both of
the latest deaths were in Carter County. The previous deaths were two
in Oklahoma County and one in Seminole County.
The majority of the cases -
57 - have been the neuro-invasive form, the most severe form, which
causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord and can lead to mental
confusion, disorientation, blindness, paralysis and death.
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