What is West Nile Fever?

About West Nile Fever:

• It is a disease caused by the West Nile Virus (WNV).
  • WNV is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae.
  • Birds are the natural hosts of WNV.
  • The virus is commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and West Asia.
• It can cause a deadly neurological diseasein humans.
• It is named after the West Nile district of Uganda, where it was first identified in 1937.
• Transmission:
  • It is most commonly spread to people by the bite of an infected mosquito. The mosquitoes get the virus when they bite an infected bird.
  • There is no evidence that WNV can be spread directly from one person to another.
  • But there have been a few cases where it has spread through organ transplants.
• Symptoms:
  • Most people infected by the virus are asymptomatic (no symptoms).
  • Symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, body aches, nausea, vomiting, occasional skin rash, and swollen lymph glands.
  • 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 (near-unconsciousness), disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
• Treatment:
  • There is no medicine or vaccine available against the WNV.
  • Treatment is based on supportive care involving hospitalisation, intravenous fluids, respiratory support, and prevention of secondary infections.

Q1: What is a Virus?

A virus is an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. A virus cannot replicate alone; instead, it must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of itself. Often, a virus ends up killing the host cell in the process, causing damage to the host organism. Well-known examples of viruses causing human disease include AIDS, COVID-19, measles and smallpox.

Source: Kerala West Nile fever cases: Health department on alert, issues directives to take mosquito control measures