West Nile outbreak closer to being second worst in U.S

DALLAS (Reuters) – The outbreak of West Nile disease in the United States moved a step closer on Wednesday to becoming the second worst on record with federal health authorities reporting 280 cases of the virus-caused illness over the past week. There have now been 4,249 cases of West Nile recorded this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 cases fewer than in 2006, the second-largest outbreak on record. The number of deaths rose by five to 168 since last week, the CDC said. …