West Nile Fever
What is West Nile Fever? West Nile fever also known as West Nile virus is a mosquito borne disease transferred from mosquito to person. Encephalitis is a disease that West nile virus can cause. What encephalitis does is it causes inflammation of the brain which in some cases can be fatal. The west Nile virus wasn’t discovered until 1937 in Africa. The disease didn’t make its way into the United States until 1999. The Virus is most common during the summer months (July- September) which is when mosquitos the carrier of the disease are most active. But in some states it is at risk all year round. Most people who are bitten and infected even receive the virus.
The West Nile Virus often doesn’t show its victims signs that
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This affects a person’s daily life because it doesn’t allow them to do everyday things. Those with certain medical conditions like diabetes and cancer are at a greater risk for serious illness.
There is no specific antiviral treatment or vaccine for West Nile Virus. There are over the counter pills that you can buy to reduce and relieve some of the symptoms. If cases become sever patients can go to the hospital and receive supportive treatment like intravenous fluid, nursing care, and pain medication.
You can receive West Nile Virus at any age in your life. For younger kids it is harder to experience the symptoms of the disease because they have really high immune systems. Older people are more at risk for the disease because there immune system is very low compared to younger kids. People with HIV and AIDS are at an even higher risk of getting the disease since they have almost no immune system.
The United States has spent eight hundred million dollars alone combating the West Nile Virus. Most outbreaks that occur cost about one hundred million dollars for each outbreak that occurs. The cost of medicine and hospitalization depends on how severe the disease is. For some people there body fights off the disease and they just need a day of rest at home. In some severe cases people can spend multiple nights in the hospital receiving antibodies which can cost up to a few hundred dollars depending on how long your stay is and how much your
West Nile Virus has many effects on the human body as well as on the bodies of other animals. West Nile is an extremely dangerous virus that attacks the Central Nervous System. It can cause inflammation of tissues in and around the brain and spinal cord. In humans, there are three levels of West Nile Virus, which have different symptoms. Humans can also get specific diseases such as encephalitis from West Nile Virus. West Nile Virus also affects animals. Wild birds and horses are the most susceptible to the virus and most animal deaths occur in these species. Dogs and cats are much less likely to contract the disease. The only way for a human or animal to get the disease is to be bitten by a mosquito
In New Mexico, we started off with 47 West Nile cases in the year 2012, in the year 2013 there were 38 cases, and in the year 2014 there 24 cases were identified (CDC, n.d.). With these CDC statistics, it can be said that both Epidemiologists and Public Health Professionals are doing an adequate job of educating and preventing further West Nile cases. There are also tools such as the CDC website that give information on how to prevent people from catching West Nile. No new information has been learned about the virus and viral transmission. However, a few small amount of cases have shown human infection which consisted of the
Ebola and West Nile virus have negative effects on human health. Both Ebola and West Nile virus ara capable of disabling protein receptors within cells. This allows the pathogen to continue to spread through the body, therefore evading the immune system. Ebola causes flu like symptoms, including fever, headaches, muscle pain, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, and even unexplained hemorrhaging. These symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure. Survival rate is dependant on the person's immune system due to the lack of a specific treatment. Symptoms are typically treated as they appear. West Nile virus, however, is different. Most people infected do not experience symptoms, while a small amount (1 in 5) will experience symptoms similar to Ebola. About 1 in 150 people will experience severe symptoms such as high fever, disorientation, coma,
The West Nile Virus is a virus that people can get from an infected mosquito bite. This virus disappeared and no one heard much of many people getting the virus for about 20 years. In the 1990´s there was a big comeback on the rise for the West Nile Virus. That also consisted of the infected bugs slowly but surely making their way to America from Africa, the Native country to this virus (Phillip).
The incidence is highest in late summer and early autumn, until the first hard frost does away with the mosquito population for that year. Birds and other animals (such as horses) are the usual reservoir for the infection, and they are involved in its dissemination. Initial viral symptoms may give way to high fever and neck stiffness (meningeal signs). However, as with most forms of encephalitis, it is the confusion and depressed levels of consciousness (stupor) that mark the infection as being of the brain (encephalitis) and not just the meninges. West Nile Virus is an acute central nervous disease (McCance & Huether, 2014).
The main point of the press release is to notify the public that the West Nile Virus has surfaced and is active. One of the sub-points is to inform the public of the current case and the number of cases over the years of people who have been infected with the West Nile Virus. Another sub-point is to give the description and signs of the West Nile Virus. Another sub-point is to notify the public where the West Nile Virus is coming from. Another sub-point what is causing the mosquitoes to breed and how to prevent the breeding of the mosquitoes to notify the public that there are two types of West Nile Virus. The West Nile encephalitis and the West Nile poliomyelitis are the two viruses the press release also notified the public of the signs and symptoms of the west Nile virus. What to do and who to contact once bitten the press release gives a statistic of number of cases from 2002 to 2011 (2012). The press release also notifies the public who is at the highest risk to becoming ill with this type of virus. The press release also gives other website to seek out more information regarding the West Nile Virus.
Encephalitis is a neurological disorder that results in the inflammation of the brain and sometimes the meninges. It is usually due to a viral infection. Most often arboviruses cause encephalitis, by transference via mosquitos to humans and animals. When bitten by an infected mosquito the virus moves from the mosquito into the person’s blood, it then reaches the brain and spinal cord, it multiplies within the central nervous system thus inflaming and damaging nerve cells, this interferes with signals from the brain to the rest of the body. The herpes simplex virus type one can commonly cause encephalitis. HIV has also been noted as an increasing cause of encephalitis. Viral infections like: mumps, chicken pox and measles can also cause encephalitis, but rarely.
The Symptoms of West Nile virus: West Nile virus, which is transmitted by infected mosquitoes, can produce flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, body aches, and skin rash (MedicineNet.com, 2015). While most infected individuals have mild disease and recover spontaneously, infection can be serious or even fatal. There is no specific treatment for West Nile virus (MEdicineNet.com, 2015). The Symptoms of Rocky Mountain spotted fever: Initial symptoms may include fever, nausea, vomiting, severe headache, muscle pain, and lack of appetite. The characteristic red, spotted rash of Rocky Mountain spotted fever is usually not seen until the sixth day or later after symptoms begin. As many as 10% to 15 % of patients may never develop a rash (Traveldoctor.com, 2015). Rocky Mountain spotted fever is treated with antibiotics. Signs of infection: It is normal for a bite or sting to result in redness of the affected area and minor swelling, but if a bite or sting becomes infected, a fever may develop or the redness or soreness may worsen. In cases of infection, an antibiotic is the typical treatment (Traveldoctor.com,
West Nile Virus has emerged in recent years throughout the temporate zones of Europe and North America. Causing a variety of conditions in its hosts, the most serious manifestation of WN virus infection is fatal encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in humans and horses, and many birds.
The Yellow Fever virus came from Central or East Africa. With transmission between primates and humans, the virus has been spread from there to West Africa. The virus was probably brought to the Americas with the slave trade ships from 1492 after the first European exploration. The first case of Yellow fever was recorded in Mexico by Spanish colonists in 1648. Consequently, the virus started to spread also in North America. In Philadelphia in 1793, more than the 9% of the population die. The American government had to escape from the city that was the temporary capital. One of the most famous outbreaks happen in Europe in Barcelona in 1821.How explains the article "The 'plague' of Barcelona. Yellow Fever epidemic of 1821", the outbreak of
Since 1999, the West Nile virus spread geographically throughout North America, except for two states, Alaska and Hawaii, which till this day does not have occurrences of WNV statistically shown by the CDC (2014). The introduction of the WNV resulted in the United States centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to initiate what was known as the National West Nile Virus Surveillance System for 2000. These objectives include:
The Ebola Haemorrahagic Fever, or Ebola for short, was first recognized as a virus in 1967. The first breakout that caused the Ebola virus to be recognized was in Zaire with 318 people infected and 280 killed. There are five subtypes of the Ebola virus, but only four of them affect humans. There are the Ebola-Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Ivory Coast and the Ebola-Bundibugyo. The fifth one, the Ebola-Reston, only affects nonhuman primates. The Ebola-Zaire was recognized on August 26, 1976 with a 44 year old schoolteacher as the first reported case. The Ebola-Sudan virus was also recognized in 1976 and was thought to be that same as Ebola-Zaire and it is thought to have broken out in a cotton factory in the Sudan. The Ebola-Ivory Coast was
Some of the viruses that cause encephalitis are arboviruses, cytomegalovirus, poliovirus, herpes zoster, and herpes simplex type 1. West Nile virus has been a big
Although there is not a scientific or natural cure found yet, there are some methods that can increase a person’s chance of survival if contracted with the virus. First, supportive care could help physically and even more psychologically. Studies on blood samples have shown that there is an identification between genes and the prediction of survival. Also, there is a new association between survival and levels of a certain protein in platelets. This protein helps to repair damaged blood vessels. Certain levels of this protein could determine the chances of survival of an infected person. Scientists are also trying to develop a cure by utilizing the benefits of this protein. Currently, there are 2 possible vaccines that are being tested to see if they will prevent the virus.
There is no specific treatment or cure for the Ebola virus. Given it has about a 90% death rate, and this is really, really high. The treatment that is given involves intensive nursing to replace lost body fluids and to prevent shock, renal failure, depletion of blood pressure. Mixing plasma and whole blood have been used but there were no appropriate clinical trials, so their effectiveness is unknown.