Fever, West Nile
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.
The virus has since moved across the United States.
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.
Read Also:
- Fever, Wolhynia
Fever, Wolhynia: Also known as trench fever, a disease borne by body lice that was first recognized in the trenches of World War I, when it is estimated to have affected more than a million people in Russia and on the fronts in Europe. Trench fever was again a major problem in the military in […]
- Feverfew
Feverfew: Tanacetum parthenium is a member of the sunflower family and has been used for centuries in Europe as a headache remedy. It is most often used today to prevent and treat migraine headaches. Feverfew can cause allergic reactions, especially in persons who are allergic to ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, or yarrow. Feverfew may alter the […]
- Fever, dengue hemorrhagic (DHF)
Fever, dengue hemorrhagic (DHF): A syndrome due to the dengue virus that tends to affect children under 10, causing abdominal pain, hemorrhage (bleeding) and circulatory collapse (shock). DHF starts abruptly with high continuous fever and headache plus respiratory and intestinal symptoms with sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Shock occurs after 2 to […]
- Fever, desert
Fever, desert: A disease also called coccidioidomycosis (CM) due to a fungus called Coccidioides immitis. About 40% of people infected with this fungus develop symptoms. Most often they have an influenza-like illness with fever, cough, headaches, rash, and myalgias (muscle pains). Of those people with symptoms, 8% have severe lung disease requiring hospitalization and 7% […]
- Fever, dumdum
Fever, dumdum: Also called kala-azar, a chronic, potentially fatal parasitic disease of the viscera (the internal organs) due to infection by an agent called Leishmania donovani. Leishmania donovani is transmitted by sandfly bites in parts of Asia (primarily India), Africa (primarily Sudan) and South America (primarily Brazil) where all together there are an estimated half […]