< b>Fever, West Nile: A febrile disease caused by the West Nile virus that
is transmitted from birds to the common Culex mosquito and then to people. The virus
is named after the area it was first found in Uganda.
West Nile fever occurs in parts of Africa and Asia and, infrequently, in Southern
Europe and the Middle East. The West Nile virus had never been seen in birds or
people in the Western Hemisphere prior to an outbreak in the summer of 1999 in New
York City.
Signs and symptoms include the sudden onset of drowsiness, headache and nausea
due to encephalitis, pain in the abdomen, a rash, and swollen glands (lymphadenopathy).
These features are usually but not always mild. Fatal cases tend to involve infants
and small children under age 5, the aged, and people with an impaired immune system.
The outbreak in New York, which was entirely unexpected, reflects the reality
of global travel today that can transport exotic viruses to new areas. If a mosquito-borne
virus enters a new area, the entire mosquito population may be susceptible, putting
everyone living there at risk.
West Nile fever is also known as West Nile encephalitis. The virus is closely
related to other flaviviruses including those responsible for St. Louis encephalitis,
Japanese encephalitis and Murray Valley encephalitis.
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