West Nile Virus--what is it and what does it cause?

West Nile disease was first recognized back in 1937 in the African country of Uganda (the West Nile district).  The experts believe that this virus is carried on migrating birds, but passed onto to people by mosquitos.  (Moore, P., The Little Book of Pandemics,(New York:  Fall River Press, 2007),130-131.  The West Nile virus has been identified as causing illness in the United States since 1999.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “More than 30,000 people in the US have been reported with West Nile virus disease since 1999, and of those almost 13,000 have been seriously ill and over 1200 have died.”  (CDC, West Nile Virus, http://www.cdc.gov/Features/WestNileVirus/?source=govdelivery 

What are symptoms of West Nile Virus?  Vague symptoms such as mild fever, body aches, headache, nausea and vomiting, swollen lymph glands or a skin rash over the torso (chest, stomach and/or back) bother some people while other people don’t show symptoms at all.  Treatment is medical support (no specific treatment).  Older people and people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of becoming ill with symptoms.  Tomorrow we look at protecting ourselves from West Nile Virus illness.