JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Mississippi State Department of Health is confirming eight more cases of West Nile virus, bringing the year’s total to 21.
Two new cases are in Hinds County, with the others in Adams, Calhoun, Forrest, Jones, Madison and Washington counties.
Hinds has reported eight total cases, Adams and Forrest two each. Copiah, Itawamba, Marion, Oktibbeha and Pearl River have had single cases.
Mississippi reported 63 West Nile cases and two deaths in 2017.
Officials say the mosquito-borne infections generally occur from July to December. They urge people to reduce risk by using insect repellent, wearing long, light-colored clothes and eliminating standing water around their homes.
Most infected people don’t get symptoms. About three in 10 develop flu-like illness, and less than 1 percent develop dangerous brain or nervous system infections.
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