WEST NILE VIRUSNicholas McDonald

What is West Nile Virus?

A potentially serious illness caused by an arbovirus transmitted primarily by mosquitoes.

History

1937 isolated in an adult woman in Uganda 1950’s ecology characterized in Egypt 1957 identified as a cause of human

meningitis and encephalitis during an outbreak in Israel

1960’s equine disease identified in Egypt and France

1999 first case identified in New York in the United States

2012 identified in some form in all 48 contiguous US States

Signs and Symptoms

Serious Symptoms: 1 in 150 develop high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness and paralysis.

Milder Symptoms: 20% develop fever, headache, and body aches, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.

Some show no symptoms at all.

Transmission

Distribution and Control

Some incidence of disease in all 48 contiguous States.

Control through spraying of mosquitoes and avoidance.

Works Cited

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm

NIH: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004457/

PA West Nile Virus Control Program: http://www.westnile.state.pa.us/