CBS Morning Show Links Foreclosures to West Nile Virus
How do you make the foreclosure crisis seem even scarier? Add in a potentially deadly virus.
CBS’s “The Early Show,” reported August 7 that a new stronger strain of the West Nile virus could spread across the country with help from the neglected pools found in foreclosed homes in
“Apparently … as more and more homes are passing into foreclosure and there are many, and many of those homes have backdoor pools, these are being neglected,” Dr. Alton Baron of
Baron added that the new strain of the virus “invades the brain and spinal cord” and listed other horrific symptoms including nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, rashes, disorientation, severe muscle weakness, fatigue or even paralysis.
Mosquitoes, which breed in stagnant water, pass on
Foreclosures in the state of
The Los Angeles Times reported July 23 that defaults, which rose by 39 percent in the first quarter, rose by only 6.6 percent in the second quarter, according to figures provided by DataQuick Information Systems. DataQuick President John Walsh said the lower increase could suggest the crisis is “nearing a plateau.”
PMZ Real Estate Corp. told Bloomberg Aug. 5 that in
Sales actually rose across
Bloomberg pointed out that housing may have hit a bottom in
“The Early Show” also didn’t tell viewers that mosquitoes carrying
The Orange County Register pointed out the rise in
Although Baron was cautious to note that for most people contracting the virus would not be fatal, other reports have more clearly stated the risks.
"Very likely, in most cases of
“Most people who are infected by the virus do not become ill, but 1 in 5 people develop flu-like symptoms.” reported The Los Angeles Times, Aug. 6. “In its most severe form,
The chance of fatality grows for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, according to a report from The Orange County Register, July 5.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Aug. 5 there were 114 cases of
