Article Title: What You Should Know About West Nile VirusAuthor Name: Becky Sisk, Ph.D. Contact Email Address: mailto:becky@enursescribe.com Category: Health & Fitness Word Count: 677
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What You Should Know About West Nile Virus
(c) 2002 By Becky Sisk, Ph.D.
The West Nile virus (WNV) was first documented in Uganda in 1937. The first case in United States was reported in New York City in 1999. Additional human cases are identified and deaths are reported daily. Here's what you need to know.
WHO CONTRACTS WNV?
WNV affects all races and men and women equally. The elderly, chronically ill, or immunosuppressed are more likely to become seriously ill or die from WNV.
HOW IS WNV TRANSMITTED?
-- WNV is carried from animal to animal by mosquito bites. Birds (especially crows) are most common victims, but WNV has infected horses and smaller animals as well. -- Birds, horses, humans, and other animals do not transmit disease. Mosquitoes do. Therefore, you will not get WNV if you handle animals who are infected. -- The more mosquito bites you have, more likely you are to become infected. This does *not* mean that you should run to doctor or your emergency room when a mosquito bites you. The likelihood that you have become infected is extremely small.
HOW DO DOCTORS DIAGNOSE WNV?
-- The signs and symptoms of WNV are fever, headache, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, muscle pain, eye pain, rash, and enlarged lymph glands. According to a recent article in Annals of Internal Medicine, incubaton period of WNV is from three to 14 days. -- WNV is dangerous when it develops into viral encephalitis or viral meningitis. Symptoms of viral encephalitis include confusion and a gradual loss of consciousness. Symptoms of viral meningitis include a stiff neck and neurological signs your doctor will recognize. -- Doctors diagnose WNV through a history and physical examination. They also order a blood test to detect antibody to WNV and or to find virus itself in blood. A case is considered to be "probable West Nile virus" when WNV antibody is identified and "confirmed West Nile virus" when virus itself is identified in blood.
HOW DO DOCTORS TREAT WNV?
Treatment for WNV is entirely supportive because there is no medication that specifically fights disease. As with any infection, be sure to drink plenty of fluids, get adequate rest, and take fever reducers, such as acetaminophen or aspirin, if you have symptoms of WNV. If you have symptoms and have been bitten by a mosquito recently, contact your physician.
