State Health Department officials say they should know by the end of this week or early next week whether a 6-year-old Putnam County girl with an illness suffered from a case of West Nile virus. The Department’s Brian Quinn says testing is still being conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One way of the other, Quinn says Missourians must be prepared for the virus. He says it’s too early to tell how badly Missouri will be affected by West Nile this year. According to Health Department statistics, there were 168 West Nile virus cases in Missouri – resulting in seven deaths.
