States respond to CDC's prediction of 1,000 West Nile cases

ATLANTA - Health officials are working to calm public fear of the West Nile virus after the government predicted a thousand people could be infected with the potentially deadly disease this year. <br> <br> The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday there have been 159 confirmed human cases this year, including nine fatalities. Tests are pending on other cases. <br> <br> The virus has been found in every state east of the Rocky Mountains, with human cases confirmed in nine states and the District of Columbia. <br> <br> A CDC West Nile expert -- Doctor Lyle Petersen -- says the peak may not come for several weeks. He says a lot more cases could be reported before cooler weather kills the disease-carrying insects. <br> <br> Petersen says up to 10 percent of people diagnosed with West Nile could die from it. That means 100 potential fatalities this year. <br> <br> In coastal Georgia, mosquito control experts say dozens of people have called with questions about West Nile. <br> <br> Sandy Kachur of the Harris County Public Health Services says her agency is trying not to alarm people. But she added that West Nile virus may be something people will have to be vigilant about -- just like sunburn.