Rebecca Pu and Samhitha Sunkara
WEST NILE VIRUS
WHAT IS THE WEST NILE VIRUS?
Type of virus known as flavivirus and arbovirus
(mosquito-borne virus)
 mainly infecting birds and mosquitos
 They transmit it to humans and other animals
 causes flu-like symptoms (West Nile fever)
 Has no known treatment
 can lead to brain inflammation
 You know you have it if: fever, headache, muscle
weakness, encephalitis or meningitis
 Been around for 76 years

HISTORY OF WEST NILE VIRUS
disease started in West Nile Province of Uganda
in 1937 from woman
Outbreaks began in Middle East and Africa
first documented in North America during 1999
NY outbreak
Source to NY = migrating birds, mosquitoes,
immigrants
HOW THE DISEASE IS SPREAD
actually not spread from
person to person
 Unless possibly from pregnant
mother to baby
 spread through infected
mosquitoes
 Mosquito gets infected from
feeding on infected bird
 virus gets into person that
mosquito bites

SYMPTOMS FOR THE MILDLY ILL
20% of infected have mild symptoms
Fever headache abdominal pain body aches
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
lack of
appetite
nausea
rash sore throat
Swollen lymph nodes
80% people show no symptoms
milder symptoms last 3-16 days
SYMPTOMS FOR THE SERIOUSLY ILL
usually occur within 3- 14 days
1/150 people infected develop serious illness.
serious symptoms include
High fever headache neck stiffness
disorientation
coma
tremors
convulsions muscle weakness
vision loss
numbness paralysis confusion brain
inflammation
symptoms can last several months
CURRENT RESEARCH

Pasteur Institute in Paris found a West Nile
gene
 West
Nile gene allows the virus to continue
reproducing

Lab in Fort Collins sorts out mosquitoes to
track source
 bugs



are tested to know:
rate at which the virus is spreading
where pesticides are needed
whether the pesticides are effective or not
TREATMENT OF THE DISEASE
No cure, no vaccine, no specific treatment
 Mild case treatment = resting, drinking, and
medicine to relieve fever and discomfort
 severe cases = hospital’s supportive care
 hospital helps body fight disease on its own
 Necessary fluids given through an IV vein
 ventilators help breathing
 Medications for seizures, nausea, vomiting, or
brain swelling

WHO IS MOST SUSCEPTIBLE
Very old people
 Very young people
 People with high blood pressure
 People with diabetes

WORKS CITED
Abramovitz, Melissa. West Nile Virus. San Diego,
CA: Lucent, 2004. Print
Board, A.D.A.M. Editorial. "West Nile Virus."
PubMed Health. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, 18 Jan. 0001. Web. 11 Feb. 2013
Considine, Glenn D., and Peter H. Kulik. Van
Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New
York, NY: Wiley-Interscience, 2002. Prin
WORKS CITED
“Questions and Answers." Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013
“West Nile Virus Facts." EPA. Environmental
Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
"West Nile Virus Treatment." West Nile Virus
Treatment. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
WORKS CITED
"West Nile Virus: What You Need To Know." Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 12 Sept. 2012.
Web. 11 Feb. 2013
"West Nile Virus-Treatment Overview." WebMD.
WebMD, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013
WHITMAN, JAKE. "West Nile Virus: Fighting the
Largest Outbreak in U.S. History." ABC News. ABC
News Network, 17 Sept. 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2013