NEWS FLASH

Number Of Cases In U.S.’ Worst West Nile Outbreak May Have Peaked | Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned that the U.S. will see the largest outbreak this year of West Nile virus infections, which is spread by mosquitoes. Last week, reported cases of West Nile jumped 35 percent, but federal officials think the growing number of cases has peaked and that the rate of new infections will slow. “We think the worst part of the epidemic is behind us,” said Dr. Lyle Petersen, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. As of Tuesday, the CDC said 2,636 cases of the virus had been reported this year, including 118 deaths.