Mail Online - Leon Watson

A state of emergency has been declared in Dallas after a rapid spread of the deadly West Nile virus infection killed at least 14 people and the city will sprayed with pesticides.

The mayor of city, the ninth largest in the U.S., said he is ramping up efforts to combat the killer bug which has been more prevalent than usual in Texas and other states this year.

Nearly half of the 693 human cases of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus infections reported this year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been in Texas.

Fourteen of the 26 deaths confirmed by the federal agency as of Tuesday have also been in the southern state.

The Texas health department said this week that the number of deaths in the state may have increased to 16.

The emergency declaration by Mayor Mike Rawlings followed a similar action last week by Dallas County officials and paves the way for aerial pesticide spraying to begin this week.

Aerial spraying also is being used elsewhere, including in neighborhoods in New York City and Sacramento, California, to combat the spread of West Nile virus.

Officials say such spraying is the most effective way to fight the mosquitoes that carry the disease despite safety concerns about exposing people to chemical pesticides.

‘Unless actions toward response and prevention are immediately initiated, as hereby provided, avoidable serious illnesses and loss of life is likely to occur,’ Rawlings said in the emergency declaration on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, the CDC said the tally of West Nile cases reported from 42 states this year was the highest recorded through the end of July since 2004.

The number of infections usually peaks around mid-August, the CDC said. Health officials said the reasons for the increased activity were not clear.

Factors such as weather, numbers of mosquitoes and human behavior contribute to when and where outbreaks happen, the CDC said.