West Nile Virus Symptoms

West Nile Virus was first seen in the United States at the end of last century, and has since received a high profile due to extensive media coverage during the Summer to Autumn when it is prevalent. The virus can be fatal in a very small percentage of cases to humans, while birds and horses frequently suffer death from West Nile Virus infection. The virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and when a person is first infected they will feel no West Nile Virus symptoms. This is because the first stage is asymptomatic i.e. they are infected but do not feel any negative effects.

In around 75% of cases, the first stage of infection is all that the afflicted person will have and so they may never know that they had contracted West Nile Virus. However, roughly 25% of those infected by West Nile Virus will suffer from West Nile Fever, the West Nile Virus symptoms of which include: fever, swollen glands, chills, nausea, vomitting, body rash and muscular aches. If you have recently been bitten by a mosquito and, especially if you are in a high risk category (over 50), you should seek doctor's diagnosis and may benefit from supportive therapy.

A very small percentage of human beings infected by WNV go on to suffer West Nile Virus symptoms prevalent to the severe complications meningits and encephalitis. These are neuroinvasive diseases which means that they affect the nervous system. Less than one percent of those infected with WNV will be unlucky enough to suffer from meningitis or encephalitis. The West Nile Virus symptoms which those afflicted by these brain complications include: convulsions, stiff neck, sever headache, very high fever, disorientation, muscle weakness and loss of consciousness even coma. Only 2 or 3% of people with these severe complications of WNV will suffer fatality, meaning only around one in a thousand people infected with West Nile disease will suffer death. As with West Nile Fever, there are no cures for meningitis or encephalitis and instead the patient may be hospitalised and given intense supportive therapy until symptoms relaxe.