4. First found in a febrile adult woman in the West Nile
District of Uganda in 1937.
It appear as a cause of severe human meningoencephalitis In
Israel in 1957.
WNV was first identified in Illinois in 2001 after laboratory
testing
5. WNV transmission has been reported in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, parts of Asia,
Australia , North America, and parts of Central America and the Caribbean.
In the western Hemisphere around 16,706 cases are were reported from 1999 through
2004,7,096 of these were classified as neuroinvasive disease, 9,268 as West Nile fever
(WNF)
WNV outbreaks in Europe and the Middle East since 1995 appear to have caused
infection in <5% of affected populations.
6. • WNV is an enveloped virion containing a single-stranded,
positive-sense RNA genome.
• The capsid is Icosahedral in shape.
• Genome size is 11kb.
• It causes West Nile Fever.
9. • No symptoms:
Most people (8 out of 10) infected with West Nile virus do not develop any symptoms.
• Febrile illness (fever):
About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever with other symptoms such as
headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhoea or rash.
• Serious symptoms :
About 1 in 150 people who are infected develop a severe illness affecting the central
nervous system such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis
(inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord).
• Symptoms of severe illness include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor,
disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness
and paralysis.
10. Reverse transcriptase-
polymerase chain reaction
[RT-PCR])
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) can
detect WNV antigen in formalin-
fixed tissue.
Viral cultures
Immunoassays for
WNV-specific IgM
11. • No vaccine or specific medicines are available for West Nile
virus infection. Antibiotics do not treat viruses.
• Rest, fluids, and over-the-counter pain medications may
relieve some symptoms.
• In severe cases, patients often need to be hospitalized to
receive supportive treatment, such as intravenous fluids, pain
medication, and nursing care.
• In severe cases Rabivirin is prescribed.
Treatment
12. • Personal protective measures include the use of mosquito repellents, wearing long-
sleeved shirts and long pants, and limiting outdoor exposure from dusk to dawn.
• Using air conditioning, installing window and door screens, and reducing mosquito
breeding sites around the home, can further decrease the risk for WNV exposure.
• Donot directly come in contact with animal blood.
Prevention
