Colorado U.S. Reps. Yadira Caraveo and Doug Lamborn want to see a federal response to a West Nile Virus Outbreak that’s killed 21 people in Colorado so far this year. The state saw its first West Nile death this year in early August in a 53-year-old Weld County resident. State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy has called the state’s West Nile outbreak “unprecedented.” Caraveo and Lamborn have written a letter to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services asking for guidance, an investigation into contributing factors to the virus, improvements to disease reporting procedures, and a strengthening of mosquito control and abatement programs. They also want to see a public awareness and education campaign that promotes prevention and testing.
