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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi's health department reported three new cases of West Nile virus Monday, bringing the state's total to 14 this year.
The new cases are in Chickasaw, Copiah and Perry counties, department officials said in a news release.
Eleven of the cases involve dangerous infections of the nervous system, said Deputy state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers. Three cases are of the flu-like West Nile fever, department spokeswoman Elizabeth Grey said in an email.
In 2015, Mississippi had 38 West Nile cases and one death.
The 14 cases this year include four in Hinds County, two in Lamar County, and one each in Calhoun, Chickasaw, Copiah, Grenada, Leflore, Lowndes, Perry and Rankin counties. The health department does not count or report infections without symptoms, Grey said.
The department recommends removing any standing water where mosquitoes could breed; avoiding areas with lots of mosquitoes, wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts outdoors, and using mosquito repellent.
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