Five More CDC Scientists to Study WNV Outbreak

Additional experts join two others already at work

By Scott Gordon

| Wednesday, Aug 22, 2012 | Updated 7:17 PM CDT

Randy McIlwain, NBC 5 News

Aerial spraying to combat West Nile virus infected mosquitoes begins again Wednesday night and Dallas County says the approach has been successful.

Dallas Touts Success in Battle...

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent five more scientists to North Texas on Wednesday to study the cause of the West Nile epidemic.

Two others from the federal agency arrived on Monday.

“They're helping to monitor and see if they can figure out what the environmental conditions are leading to such an increase in cases,” said CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund.

The group includes “disease detectives,” insect experts and data analysts, she said.

State and county health experts will continue to lead the investigation, Nordlund said.

She had no timetable for when they might complete their work.

“It’s a process,” Nordlund said. “They’ll look at all the data and see if they can figure out what’s going on."

The CDC is based in Atlanta.

West Nile Virus:
Click here for complete coverage of the outbreak of West Nile virus in North Texas. Find updated numbers of human cases, spraying schedules, and more FAQs about the disease.