Conditions are nearly perfect near bodies of water in southwest Idaho for mosquitoes to hatch, flourish and antagonize humans. The flying pests also carry a significant health risk – the potentially deadly West Nile virus.
ITD’s Jeff Miles recently shared information about the virus with fellow employees. At the suggestion of Cheryl Rost, ITD Safety & Risk Manager, the information is repeated here:
Symptoms of West Nile Virus
Q. What are the symptoms of West Nile virus (WNV)
It is estimated that about 20 percent of people who become infected with WNV will develop West Nile fever. Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands. While the illness can be as short as a few days, even healthy people have reported being sick for several weeks.
The symptoms of severe disease (also called neuroinvasive disease, such as West Nile encephalitis or meningitis or West Nile poliomyelitis) include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
An estimated 1 in 150 persons infected with the West Nile virus will develop a more severe form of disease. Serious illness can occur in people of any age, however people over age 50 and some immunocompromised persons (for example, transplant patients) are at the highest risk for getting severely ill when infected with WNV.
Most people (about 4 out of 5) who are infected with West Nile virus will not develop any type of illness (an asymptomatic infection), however you cannot know ahead of time if you'll get sick or not when infected.
Q. What is the incubation period in humans (i.e.,
time from infection to onset of disease symptoms) for West Nile disease?
Q. How long do symptoms last?
Q. What is meant by West Nile encephalitis, West
Nile meningitis, West Nile poliomyelitis, “neuroinvasive disease”
and West Nile fever?
West Nile Fever is another type of illness that can occur in people who become infected with the virus. It is characterized by fever, headache, tiredness, aches and sometimes rash. Although the illness can be as short as a few days, even healthy people have been sick for several weeks.
Q. If I have West Nile Fever, can it turn into
West Nile encephalitis?
West Nile fever is characterized by symptoms such as fever, body aches, headache and sometimes swollen lymph glands and rash. West Nile fever generally lasts only a few days, though in some cases symptoms have been reported to last longer, even up to several weeks. West Nile fever does not appear to cause any permanent health effects. There is no specific treatment for WNV infection. People with West Nile fever recover on their own, though symptoms can be relieved through various treatments (such as medication for headache and body aches, etc.).
Some people may develop a brief, WNF-like illness (early
symptoms) before they develop more severe disease, though the percentage
of patients in whom this occurs is not known.
Encephalitis refers to an inflammation of the brain, meningitis is an inflammation of the membrane around the brain and the spinal cord, and meningoencephalitis refers to inflammation of the brain and the membrane surrounding it. Although there is no treatment for WNV infection itself, the person with severe disease often needs to be hospitalized. Care may involve nursing IV fluids, respiratory support, and prevention of secondary infections.
For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control Web site.