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West Nile
Virus
West Nile Virus is a flavivirus commonly found in
Africa, West Asia, and the Middle East. It is closely related to
St. Louis encephalitis virus which is also found in the United States.
The virus can infect humans, birds, mosquitoes, horses and some
other mammals.
The most severe type of disease due to a person being
infected with West Nile virus is sometimes called “neuroinvasive
disease” because it affects a person’s nervous system.
Specific types of neuroinvasive disease include: West Nile encephalitis,
West Nile meningitis or West Nile meningoencephalitis. Encephalitis
refers to an inflammation of the brain, meningitis is an inflammation
of the membrane around the brain and the spinal cord, and meningoencephalitis
refers to inflammation of the brain and the membrane surrounding
it. West Nile Fever is another type of illness that can occur in
people who become infected with the virus. It is characterized by
fever, headache, tiredness, aches and sometimes rash. Although the
illness can be as short as a few days, even healthy people have
been sick for several weeks.
When dealing with West Nile virus, prevention is your
best bet. Fighting mosquito bites reduces your risk of getting this
disease, along with others that mosquitoes can carry. Take the commonsense
steps below to reduce your risk:
- avoid bites and illness;
- clean out the mosquitoes from the places where
you work and play;
- help your community control the disease.
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