West Nile Virus has hit the South, hard. Dallas County — Texas’ second most populated region and the center of the nation’s deadliest West Nile outbreak this year — announced last week that for the first time in 50 years, it will allow aerial spraying of insecticide to target the mosquito-borne illness. The county also declared a public health emergency, with 89 cases of the most severe form of the illness — neuroinvasive West Nile — confirmed in the county, out of 214 such cases statewide so far. Fifteen deaths have been reported in Texas and eight are from Dallas County, according to the Texas Infectious Disease Control Unit. In total, Texas has seen 351 cases of West Nile virus, putting it on track to outpace the worst year on record: 2003, with 438 cases. Currently, there are no vaccines to prevent West Nile and no specific medications to treat symptoms. People with mild symptoms usually recover on their own, even if symptoms last several weeks. Patients with more severe cases — symptoms can include high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, convulsions, muscle weakness, blindness, numbness and paralysis — often require hospitalization for proper care and pain medication. People older than 50 and those with certain medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease and organ transplants are at higher risk for severe illness. Check out our website, cbc-radio.com for more information on preventing exposure.