Speech Part
Disease Profile
Slide 1
West Nile virus is contracted from mosquitoes that infect the living host with the
infection which is most common when mosquitos bite infected birds. Symptoms
of West Nile virus have characteristics that could be confused with the common
cold.
With that being said 70-80% of people show minimal symptoms or no symptoms
at all.
The neurological infections of the brain are encephalitis and meningoencephalitis
and can damage the body. Encephalitis is inflammation of the brain, and
meningoencephalitis is inflammation of the brain and the surrounding areas
including the membranes. If a person contracts encephalitis or
meningoencephalitis, their infection may spread to cause even more serious
complications. The spread of these infections can lead to West Nile poliomyelitis
which is inflammation of the spinal cord
Slide 2
People that do develop symptoms, only 20-30% of them experience mild
symptoms. These milder symptoms are sometimes referred to as West Nile
fever. The symptoms of West Nile fever include fever, headache, body aches,
fatigue, back pain, nausea, sore throat, diarrhea, lack of appetite, swollen lymph
glands, eye pain, and skin rashes (West Nile virus, 2012). Skin rashes are a
symptom that varies with West Nile fever. There has not been many exposures
that have caused skin rashes, so most professionals do not know the extent of
this symptom. If patients do acquire skin rashes, these rashes can affect the
head or neck, trunk, and upper and lower extremities of the body. Since there is
little research or cases to look at the appearance of the skin rashes, experts
cannot determine a distinct pattern or look of the skin rashes.
Slide 3
Once a living host is infected with West Nile virus, symptoms may appear 3 to 14
days after initial contraction. After these 3 to 14 days, this is when the West Nile
fever symptoms will begin to show.
Since only about 20% of people show any symptoms at all, it can be difficult to
have an accurate incubation period because people who contract West Nile virus
are asymptomatic. Factors that increase your chances of developing more
severe West Nile infections, include age and past medical history. If you are over
50 years old you have an increased risk of developing severe West Nile
infections. The same is true if you previously have a past history that has caused
you to have a weakened immune system.
Since the disease is commonly spread from mosquitos, one risk factor that
affects the spread of disease is when mosquitoes are active. The highest
frequency of mosquito bites and West Nile contraction comes in July, August and
September.
West Nile has also had cases in all 48 continental U.S. states. The other two
states being Alaska and Hawaii.
Slide 4
Contracting West Nile virus can have more effects on you than just physical
symptoms. It can also lead to complications in other areas of your life, such as
work. West Nile encephalitis and meningitis can lead to being hospitalized where
intravenous fluids and respiratory support may be needed.
The latter side is that even though many people will fully recover, fatigue and
muscle weakness can last up to weeks or months. Those two symptoms can
drain a person mentally and physically at work, and may cause one to have more
sick days than normal
Even some of the more neurological symptoms can be permanent, causing
lifelong struggles (CDC, 2013a). These effects could cause people to not perform
as well or make it difficult to perform once normal recreational activities. One last
area of your personal life that can be hindered by West Nile virus is family. When
these symptoms lead to more serious complications, it can take a toll on your
family. Some symptoms that may lead to hospitalizations can lead to martial,
child, and financial issues.
The effects of West Nile virus can also lead to some social and economic
changes in peoples communities. One aspect of community that can be affected
from West Nile virus is the economy. The economy can be effected by a West
Nile virus outbreak. This could hurt the economy due to the immediate action that
would need to be taken to get rid of the infected mosquitos. There was a West
Nile virus outbreak in California in 2005. They called in professionals to come
and spray the area with Emergency Vector Control Spray. The spray was put
onto two different locations on 6 different nights. The total cost the vector spray
was $660,000 not including labor
Another area of the community that can be affected by West Nile virus is the
government. The reason that the government can be impacted is with West Nile
virus surveillance. It is important for the government to act when outbreaks are
happening to have a plan to stop the outbreaks from growing into an
epidemic. West Nile virus outbreaks can lead to the government having to step
in and set up surveillance and plans to help contain the disease from
spreading.
The first outbreak happened in the state of New York. After that, the surrounding
states implemented emergency plans for West Nile. As of now, Indiana does not
have an emergency West Nile plan.
Etiology
Slide 1
West Nile is a single stranded RNA virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes to
humans, which have been infected by birds that are carrying the virus. Viruses
that are carried by mosquitoes are classified as arbovirus and belongs to the
Flaviridae family (WHO, 2011). West Nile virus has two strains. The first of the
strains is located in North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The other strain is
only located in Madagascar
Transmission of the virus originally comes from birds. The mosquito comes into
contact with the infected bird by collecting blood. Since the virus is located in the
mosquito's salivary glands, it is passed to a human when they are bitten, passing
it on to a new host. There has been no known human-to-human transmission.
Slide 2
Birds are the primary reservoir of West Nile. Even though it is rare for it to be
deadly to birds, it is common to find dead birds with the virus in their system. In
North America, crows are the most susceptible to being a reservoir in our area
The main way that people become infected with West Nile is by mosquito bites.
The mosquito bites an infected bird, and then the mosquito comes into contact
with a human. Another way for a person to become infected, although it is rare, is
by organ transplant, blood transfusions, and breast-feeding
Slide 3 (Read Slide)
The risk factors associated with the West Nile virus typically occur from the
environment one is living in. One of the main risk factors is due to the amount of
time a person spends outside and the time of day which they spend outside.
Majority of West Nile cases occur between the months of July and September in
the Midwestern and Southern states of the U.S. The time of day is another risk
factor because mosquitoes are most active during dawn hours The amount of
clothing that people decide to wear could also be a risk factor. Other risk factors
include age and health. This means that people who spend the majority of their
time outside are at the greatest risk for getting the virus