PHOENIX (AP) — Public health data shows the potentially fatal West Nile Virus is popping up more around the U.S. Southwest following a rainier winter, with a record number of cases in Arizona's Maricopa County and nine deaths statewide this year.
Numbers from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Arizona has the most cases of any state for 2019.
Arizona's public health statistics from this week show Maricopa with more cases of infected people than any county, with 132 of the 135 confirmed and suspected cases statewide.
Southern Nevada has also emerged as part of the "hot zone" for the virus, with 28 cases reported in Clark County as of last week. A scattering of cases has also been reported in other states including California and Utah.