West Nile Virus Grips Unites States: Know The Symptoms And Scope Of Prevention

The United States of America has been dealing wth the brunt of the West Nile Virus, and that has alarmed the authorities.

The United States has raised new concerns recently. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has confirmed the first positive mosquito pool for the West Nile virus (WNV) in the city this season.

As per what the officials told on Friday, the detected infection was from the virus which was found in a mosquito sample collected near Pennypack Park in Northeast Philadelphia,

As of now, there haven’t been any human cases that have been reported, but the health officials have raised concerns over the possibility that more mosquito pools could test positive for the virus across especially in the Philadelphia region, in the future.

USA Struggles With The West Nile Virus

Philadelphia City is not the only region that has detected the virus, but three more regions apart from Philadelphia have been found to have detected a positive infection.

In one of the news reports, it was found that three samples have been detected positive outside Philadelphia city, which includes other regions, namely, Albany County and Wyoming.

It has been noted that the local mosquito control teams have been taking the required action, and yet have tested 54 collected samples of the Culex tarsalis mosquitoes, which are known to be vectors of WNV in the region. Apart from these two birds, too, have tested positive for the virus.

While noting down the intensity of the infection, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has analysed the present risk level as ‘low’, with only sporadic and not consistent virus being recorded in mosquitoes and birds.

Authorities Take Action As Cases Of West Nile Virus Surge In Philadelphia

The authorities have been taking the right measures to prevent the spread, as the Mosquito control teams are already on their toes. In the sheer effort to extinguish the threat of the virus, they have taken the action to fog areas that are on the radar and have been recording an uptick in activity. Besides this, they have also been ensuring targeted larval control activities within the vulnerable areas, like public parks etc.

The resident of Philadelphia are apprehensive about the possibility of being bitten by mosquitoes that are causing the spread of the virus and that have affected their movements at particular times of the day. The authorities, with an aim to stem the spread of the virus, have urged residents to ensure that they wear clothes with long sleeves and pants.

“When we detect our first mosquitoes that are infected with West Nile virus, we tend to see the spread of West Nile virus among mosquitoes throughout the city,” Gayle Mendoza, communications deputy director for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said.

Also, the people who have tested positive for West Nile virus are asked to refrain from donating blood or organs for at least 120 days following the detection. So that means that there are more mosquitoes than we have with that, the risk for potential human infection is going to increase for the rest of the season,” Mendoza added.

What Is The West Nile Virus?

West Nile virus is a serious health condition that is a viral illness which is known to be transmitted by mosquito bites, especially from mosquitoes that belong to the Culex genus, as stated by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus is extremely common and now rampant in the US. Many other countries, too, have reportedly detected the infection. The virus belongs to the flavivirus family, along with St Louise encephalitis and Powassan viruses.

What Are The Symptoms Of West Nile Virus

Many of the patients who have been diagnosed with the condition have reported that the infection from the virus shows no symptoms, which means it is asymptomatic.

However, a small portion of the people have been found to have developed some symptoms which are mild to moderate, like developing a fever which is accompanied by a headache or heaviness-like feeling in the head and body/muscle/joint pain or rash.

What makes the virus a great concern is that there is a possibility of intense neurologic occurrences such as encephalitis and meningitis, which are known to affect about 1 in 150 infected people under its threat. The ones who remain the most vulnerable are the elderly and people who are dealing with some chronic illnesses.

What Is The Available Cure For West Nile Virus

By far, it has been noted that there is an unavailability of any specific antiviral agent that can work against West Nile virus; however, it has been seen in most cases, the illness is known to be cured with the right amount of rest, fluids and other pain relievers or available medication for fever. Hospitalisation might be necessary to deal with some severe cases.