Explained: What is the West Nile Virus, how does it spread?

What is the News?

The Kerala health department is on alert after the death of a 47-year-old from Thrissur due to the West Nile Virus.

What is West Nile Virus?

The West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne, single-stranded RNA virus. 

It is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae.

First Case: The virus was first isolated in a woman in the West Nile district of Uganda in 1937.

— Currently, the virus is found commonly in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and West Asia.

Vector: Culex species of mosquitoes act as the principal vectors for transmission.

Source of Transmission: It is transmitted by infected mosquitoes between and among humans and animals, including birds, which are the reservoir host of the virus.

It can also spread through blood transfusion, from an infected mother to her child, or through exposure to the virus in laboratories.

Note: To date, no human-to-human transmission of WNV through casual contact has been documented.

Symptoms: The disease is asymptomatic in 80% of the infected people. The rest develop what is called the West Nile fever. In these 20% cases, the symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue, body aches, nausea, rash and swollen glands. Severe infection can lead to encephalitis, meningitis, paralysis and even death.

Treatment: Treatment often involves hospitalization, intravenous fluids, respiratory support and prevention of secondary infections. No vaccine is available for humans.

Source: The post is based on the article “Explained: What is the West Nile Virus, how does it spread?” published in Indian Express on 29th May 2022.