Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Thursday morning and activated the State Emergency Operations Center.

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The virus lives in the nerve roots in a dormant state, and is re-activated during times of illness and stress.

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The state Emergency Operations Center in Albany was activated at noon Friday to monitor storm response.

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Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency because of "rapidly rising rivers" and activated the Missouri National Guard for deployment to threatened Mississippi River towns.

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