U.S. West Nile cases, deaths jump in latest week

DALLAS (Reuters) – The number of U.S. West Nile virus infections has jumped more than 60 percent in the past week, putting this year's outbreak on track to be the worst on record, and federal health officials are stumped by its severity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control on Wednesday said 1,118 cases and 41 deaths have been reported so far this year, up from fewer than 700 cases and 26 deaths just one week ago. That is the highest number of West Nile virus infections reported through the third week of August since the virus was first detected in the United States in 1999, the CDC said. …