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Third West Nile Death Prompts Officials To Ask For State Help

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Dallas County reports a third death from West Nile Virus. The patient lived in Grand Prairie. Health officials say all three victims had the more serious neuroinvasive strain of the mosquito-transmitted illness.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins is asking the Texas Department of Health and Human Services for help. He says Dallas County's Health Department needs more supplies to battle mosquitoes.

Clay Jenkins: "When we're running low of things that the state might have a stockpile of, or the region might have a stockpile of, we go through these request scenarios. The fact that we're doing that on mosquito control shows you the depth of the problem this year."

State Health officials reports 111 human West Nile cases so far this year. 80% of those are in Dallas, Tarrant, Denton and Collin counties.

West Nile Watch - Dallas

Former KERA reporter BJ Austin spent more than 25 years in broadcast journalism, anchoring and reporting in Atlanta, New York, New Orleans and Dallas. Along the way, she covered Atlanta City Hall, the Georgia Legislature and the corruption trials of Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards.