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West Nile Virus

West Nile virus (WNV) is an infectious disease that first appeared in the United States in 1999. Infected mosquitoes spread the virus that causes it. People who contract WNV usually have no symptoms or mild symptoms. Those with symptoms may have a fever, headache, body aches, skin rash or swollen lymph glands.

If West Nile virus enters the brain, however, it can be deadly. It may cause inflammation of the brain, called encephalitis, or inflammation of the tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called meningitis.

Older people are most at risk. There are no specific vaccines or treatments for human WNV disease. The easiest and best way to avoid WNV is to prevent mosquito bites:

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

West Nile Virus on Wikipedia

'''West Nile virus''' is a newly emergent virus of the family ''Flaviviridae'', found in both tropics and temperate regions. It mainly infects birds, but is also the cause of a number of conditions in humans, horses, and some other mammals. It is transmitted by bites of infected mosquitoes. Photographs from a high resolution electron microscope published in the journal ''Science (journal)'' reveal the virus as spherical with a slightly bumpy surface but no projecting protein arms. It is said to have a strong resemblance in appearance to dengue fever virus.

Symptoms

In most people (80%), infection causes no symptoms. In others, the virus causes mild flu-like symptoms known as ''West Nile fever''. The virus is able to pass the blood-brain barrier, and the most serious effects (in 0.7% of the infected) are encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord), both of which can be fatal. Persons over 50 years of age are at higher risk of developing severe disease, the symptoms of which include fever, nausea, stiff neck and changes in mental status. In rare cases (first reported October 2002), patients develop sudden-onset paralysis. Symptoms develop 3-14 days after infection. No effective treatment is known. The disease can be diagnosed by employing an ELISA test detecting antibody against the virus. However, several related viruses also cause encephalitis and result in similar antibodies. The virus is mostly maintained in birds. Female mosquitos, mainly of the species ''Culex pipiens'', ''Culex restuan'' and ''Culex quinquefasciatus'', bite infected birds, carry the virus in their salivary glands, and infect other birds when they bite again. ''Culex pipiens'' is thought to be the main mosquito species transmit the virus from birds to mammals. ...   [ Read More ]


External Resources

Crow Info - Information on crows, links of references, and information on the crow and its relation with the West Nile Virus.

West Nile Virus Scare: Mosquitoes Spread New Disease - Basic information about the arrival of invasive insect species in the USA.

From Behind the Wall of Sleep - News, politics and space-related topics by a West Nile Virus victim.

Vads Corner - Emerging viruses, Outbreaks, Haze, Nipah virus, enterovirus 71, Influenza, H5N1 Influenza A, Chikungunya virus, West Nile virus, Dioxin, Arsenic, Medline, Medical Journals.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Zoonosis Program - Factsheets on hantavirus, west nile virus, plague, rabies, and tick-borne diseases.

CDC Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases (DVBID) - Details about this national and international reference center for vector-borne viral and bacterial diseases. Location: Colorado, USA. Covers disorders such as lyme, plague, yellow fever, west nile, virus, and dengue fever. Publications, links and details about specimen submissions.

CDC: West Nile Virus - Background, entomology, vertebrate ecology, NYC area outbreak, virology, surveillance, control, prevention, and bibliography regarding West Nile virus infection in the U.S.

Maryland West Nile Virus - Basic facts from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

West Nile Virus - Fact sheets and advisories from the US Geological Survey as well as link to additional information.

New York City Department of Health - West Nile Virus - Information, fact sheets, reporting forms and local news related to the West Nile Virus in the New York City area.


Related Pages on HealthTales.com:

Monkeypox Virus Infections
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections

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