Why would they bother with a non-disabling disease? West Nile is a joke. They might as well threaten to infect us all with the common cold.
This is worse than the common cold. People die of West Nile virus.
Q. How many cases of West Nile encephalitis in humans have occurred in the U.S.?Take care!A. In 1999, 62 cases of severe disease, including 7 deaths, occurred in the New York area. In 2000, 21 cases were reported, including 2 deaths in the New York City area. In 2001, there were 66 human cases of severe disease and 9 deaths. No reliable estimates are available for the number of cases of West Nile encephalitis that occur worldwide.
For 2002, as of July 24, there have been 12 cases of human disesase due to West Nile virus infection reported and confirmed by CDC. 11 of those cases are located in the state of Louisiana. Questions and Answers About West Nile Virus - CDC Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases (DVBID)