History Of West Nile Disease

Health Officials Renew Mosquito Warnings

BOSTON -- As summer starts, state health officials are warning residents to be vigilant to protect themselves and their families against mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said mosquitoes in the state have a history of carrying West Nile virus and eastern equine encephalitis.

Not everyone infected with West Nile virus will get sick, but those over the age of 50 are at greater risk for serious disease, the DPH said. EEE is a rare but very serious disease that can affect anyone.

“Most human cases of West Nile virus and EEE occur in late summer and early fall,” said Dr. Al DeMaria, state epidemiologist and medical director of the Bureau of Infections Disease. “However, it's not too early to get into good mosquito-bite prevention habits.”

Health officials said residents should use bug sprays that contain DEET, permethrin, IR3535 or picaridin which provides protection against mosquitoes. In addition, oil of lemon eucalyptus has been found to provide as much protection as low concentrations of DEET, the DPH said.

Residents should take special care to cover the arms and legs of children playing outdoors. Babies who are outdoors should be in a carriage or playpen covered with mosquito netting.

Property owners should fix any holes in screens and make sure they are tightly attached to all doors and windows. They should also remove any standing water, including gutters, trash cans, old tires and bird baths, on their property. Mosquitoes will begin to breed in any puddle or standing water that lasts for more than four days.

The DPH Hinton State Laboratory Institute began routine testing of mosquito samples on June 20.

A Look at the History of the West Nile Virus | West Nile Survivor

Viral diseases are very common. Some of the most common carriers of these diseases are mosquitoes which are responsible for a lot of people getting sick each year. Mosquitoes are very deleterious to human health. It is a source of many diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Both of these diseases have caused a lot of deaths and are still continuing to end lives in many parts of the world most especially third world countries.

Malaria and Dengue fever are not the only mosquito borne diseases that have ravaged the face of the earth. There is another virus carried by the mosquito that when contracted by humans can have very serious ramifications to their health. This is called the West Nile Virus which is otherwise known as WNV. It comes from the Flaviviridae virus family as well as the JE or Japanese encephalitis complex. WNV is prevalent in tropical countries as well as in cold regions. It affects not only people but animals as well namely felines, dogs, bats, rabbits, and even crocs. The virus enters the human or animal body through a mosquito bite which then enters the blood stream. Humans do not usually manifest any signs or symptoms once they are infected with the West Nile Virus.

It was more than a millennium ago when the West Nile Virus was first heard about and identified. This original was able to subdivide itself into two different classes. The first class of WNV infected a lot of people across the globe but it was the most virulent in Africa. The second class of WNV was at first found to have infected horses in Madagascar and Africa. Later on, it also infected horses found in Europe. In Hungary, it became an epidemic among numerous horses. These happened during the year 2008.

The West Nile Virus is very virulent. It has cost a lot of people their lives. In fact, several historians have proposed that Alexander the Great died at a young age because he succumbed to the West Nile Virus. The basis for this was that numerous birds died prior to him getting sick and it should also be noted that WNV also infected avian animals.

With some advancement in technology, scientists were able to segregate the West Nile Virus during the year 1937 in Uganda. During this year, the country was plagued with the yellow fever virus leading them to isolating another virus altogether. Because of these, scientists were able to study the West Nile Virus and they were also able to quantify the percentage of people who tested positive to WNV infection. These countries were Congo, Sudan, Egypt, and India. The numbers were highest in Egypt. The study revealed that 90% of those aging 40 years old were infected with the West Nile Virus. In 1957, it was discovered that WNV infection is the major cause of a severe form of meningoencephalitis. Countries on the western hemisphere as well as in the US were first found to have been infected with the WNV virus during the year 1999.

Trail of Prophecy

I therefore thought it appropriate for us to take a closer look at the history of West Nile Virus to see if we might reveal ...

West Nile virus

Looks at the disease known as West Nile fever caused by West Nile virus, tracing its history to the present and predicting its future.

Biosecurity and bioterrorism, containing and preventing biological threats

Now, history of exposure leads physicians in endemic areas to a more rapid ... West Nile virus is a member of the Japanese encephalitis virus antigenic ...

West Nile Virus

Textbook of pediatric infectious diseases

Guillain-Barre syndrome: An unusual presentation of West Nile virus infection. ... The natural history of West Nile fever. I. Clinical observations during ...