Download West Nile - Felicia Henderson

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 3 - 6 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
Alabama
7
Kansas
85
Arizona
41
Kentucky
3
Arkansas
18
Louisiana
54
California
368
Maryland
16
Colorado
318
Massachusetts
8
Connecticut
4
Michigan
36
Delaware
3
Minnesota
79
District of
Columbia
1
Mississippi
45
Missouri
29
Florida
5
Montana
38
Georgia
6
Nebraska
221
Idaho
40
Nevada
11
Illinois
116
Indiana
22
Iowa
44
New Hampshire 1
New Jersey
Vermont
2
Virginia
6
Washington
1
Wisconsin
22
Wyoming
41
11
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.
http://westnilesurvivorstories.blogspot.com/
PANDEMIC
prevalent over a whole country or the world.
SOURCES
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/westnile/faq.html
http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/west_nile_fever.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004457/
http://www.michigan.gov/emergingdiseases/0,4579,7-186-25805-75265--,00.html