An Associated Press analysis shows that South Dakota and North Dakota rank first and second per capita in the rate of West Nile virus cases.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures list 175 cases of the mosquito-borne illness in South Dakota, a rate of about 21 infections per 100,000 people. North Dakota has 74 documented cases, or about 11 per 100,000 people.
The per capita figure in South Dakota is three times that of the No. 3 state, Mississippi.
Two people have died from the virus in South Dakota, the worst per capita death rate in the country. There have been no deaths in North Dakota.
There have been 147 deaths reported nationwide as of Sept. 25, one of the worst-ever years for West Nile in the United States.
