WEST NILE Felicia Henderson

HISTORY West Nile virus is an emerging infectious disease that was first discovered in the African country of Uganda in 1937, and in recent years has spread beyond its traditional boundaries, causing illness in birds, horses, and humans in Europe and now the United States. It was first discovered in the U.S. in 1999 in New York City. Since that time, WNV has been detected in humans, animals, and mosquitoes in 47 states from coast to coast. West Nile virus is a disease spread by mosquitoes. The condition ranges from mild to severe.

FIRST OCCURRED West Nile virus was first identified in 1937 in Uganda in eastern Africa. It was first discovered in the United States in the summer of 1999 in New York.

VIRUS, BACTERIA, GENETIC Virus, Infection.

YEAR FIRST DISCOVERED 1937

IS IT AN EMERGING DISEASE? Yes, it is pandemic.

HOW ITS TRANSMITTED The first step in the transmission cycle of West Nile virus (WNV) happens when a mosquito bites an infected bird or animal and gets the virus while feeding on the animal's blood. The infected mosquito can then transmit the virus to another bird or animal when it feeds again. Crows are highly susceptible to lethal infection, as are robins, blue jays, and other birds. Scientists have identified more than 138 bird species that can be infected and more than 43 mosquito species that can transmit WNV. Although the virus usually cycles between mosquitoes and birds, infected female mosquitoes also can transmit WNV through their bites to humans and other "incidental hosts," such as horses. With so many susceptible hosts to amplify the virus and so many types of mosquitoes to transmit it, WNV has spread rapidly across the United States. Most cases of human disease occur in elderly people and in people with impaired immune systems. In a very small number of cases, WNV has been spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants, breastfeeding and even during pregnancy from mother to baby, according to the CDC.

SYMPTOMS Symptoms may occur 1 to 14 days after becoming infected. Mild disease, generally called West Nile fever, may cause some or all of the following symptoms: Abdominal pain Diarrhea Fever Headache Lack of appetite Muscle aches Nausea Rash Sore throat Swollen lymph nodes Vomiting These symptoms usually last for days, but may last a month.

MORBIDITY RATE Clinical cases caused by WNV usually occur seasonally. Birds are mainly affected from summer to late fall, and cases in horses peak in late summer and fall. Occasional outbreaks may be seen when mosquitoes are absent, in species that can transmit the virus horizontally. In the U.S., one outbreak occurred among crows during the winter. WNV isolates differ in their virulence for birds, and only some viruses cause severe illness or death. Different patterns of disease have been reported among avian species in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

TREATMENT No specific treatment is available, but animals may recover on their own if they are given supportive care. Supportive treatment has the goal of reducing inflammation in the CNS, preventing self-inflicted injuries and adverse effects from recumbency, and providing supportive nutrition and fluids. Therapy is empiric, and similar to the treatment of other causes of viral encephalomyelitis. Mild cases have sometimes recovered without treatment.

AGE Can affect any age but those over fifty have less chance of recovery

Cumulative Total Entire Country: 2,374 Kansas85 Kentucky3 Louisiana54 Maryland16 Massachusetts8 Michigan36 Minnesota79 Mississippi45 Missouri29 Montana38 Nebraska221 Nevada11 New Hampshire1 New Jersey11 Alabama7 Arizona41 Arkansas18 California368 Colorado318 Connecticut4 Delaware3 District of Columbia 1 Florida5 Georgia6 Idaho40 Illinois116 Indiana22 Iowa44 Vermont2 Virginia6 Washington1 Wisconsin22 Wyoming41

STORY West Nile virus infects mosquitoes, birds, and people with very different consequences. Fever Infection

STORY TIME A 17-year-old Menifee girl stricken with West Nile Encephalitis died Wednesday, more than four years after she fell ill. Lauren Ashley Miller contracted West Nile virus in 2004, at age 13, after mosquito bites showed up on her legs. She later developed encephalitis and her brain swelled, leaving her in a mostly vegetative state. So basically, West Nile can lead to other illnesses depending on the severity of it and you can have it longer than a few weeks before death.

PANDEMIC prevalent over a whole country or the world.

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