West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus

The West Nile Virus is transmitted to humans and animals trough the bit of an infected mosquito. The mosquito's biological name is Flavivirus. Not that many people get sick from West Nile Virus but there are still people that end up in the hospital. To treat West Nile you usually have to go to the hospital. To confirm that a person has West Nile Virus a blood sample has to get tested. People can help prevent West Nile by doing simple things around the yard.

About 80 percent of people who get infected with West Nile Virus do not even show symptoms and they will probably never know they had it. Around 20 percent of people that get west Nile virus show mild symptoms like headache, Vomiting, Nausea. They can have body aches sometimes people get swollen lymph glands and they may also get a skin rash on the chest, back and stomach. These symptoms may only last for a few days. But even healthy people became sick for weeks. Only about one present of people who get the virus get severely sick. These sever symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss and paralysis. The symptoms can last several weeks. Any neurological effects that were caused may be permanent. The two most sever kinds of the disease are meningitis or encephalitis. This occurs manly in people over 50 years old. Less than 1 percent of people who get West Nile get this for of the virus.

There are not really any specific treatments for west Nile virus. The people who get mild cases of the virus such as fever and headache usually don't do anything and the symptoms pass on their own. The people that have more sever cases usually have to go to the hospital. In the hospital people need an intervenes, a respirator, airway management, prevention from secondary infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract ex.

West Nile Virus in Humans can de diagnosed by lab testing. The virus can be suspected in a person. They base that on clinical symptoms and patient history. Laboratory testing is required. The most common way that West Nile Virus is tested is with a blood sample or a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid found around brain and spinal cord). In this method of testing they test the amount antibodies that are produced