Over the past week, the amount of deaths caused by West Nile virus infections have increased to over 60 percent in the United States. Federal officials are even calling it the country's largest outbreak of the disease.

With 1,118 cases and 41 deaths in 2012 thus far reported, it is imperative that people both know and understand the deadly disease's symptoms.

The virus is transmitted by mosquitos who acquire it from infected birds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is said that out five people with a mosquito bite, four will have zero symptoms.

However, 20 percent of individuals who obtain West Nile will develop a West Nile fever between two to 15 days later and one out of a 1,000 will die. Notable symptoms that could occur include headaches, fever, tiredness, body aches, swollen lymph glands and an occasional skin rash on the body's torso area.

Unfortunately, the CDC reported that there is still no treatment available for the deadly fever - which includes West Nile encephalitis, West Nile meningitis and West Nile poliomyelitis. Symptoms from those respective sicknesses include stupor, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma convulsions, muscle weakness, high fever, convulsions and even paralysis.

People over the age of 50 and those with weak immune systems (ex: transplant patients) are at the highest risk for the severest form of the deadly disease.

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