West Nile Virus is spread by Mosquitoes

West Nile is a virus most commonly spread to people by mosquito bites. In North America, cases of West Nile virus (WNV) occur during mosquito season, which starts in the summer and continues through fall. WNV cases have been reported in all of the continental United States. There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat WNV in people. Fortunately, most people infected with WNV do not have symptoms. About 1 in 5 people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About 1 out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness. You can reduce your risk of WNV by using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites.

West Nile Virus is found in both temperate and tropical regions and was first isolated from a feverish 37-year-old woman at Omogo in the West Nile District of Uganda in 1937 during research on yellow fever virus. West Nile Virus mainly majorly affect birds but is known to also infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, chipmunks, skunks, squirrels, domestic rabbits, crocodiles, and alligators.

West Nile Virus get into the human body through the bite of an infected mosquito, West Nile virus symptoms typically appear 3 to 14 days after a bite from an infected mosquito. People over age 50 are more likely to become severely ill as a result of a bite from an infected mosquito.

The major symptoms of the virus include tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis, and even comas. Twenty percent of people with West Nile have less severe symptoms, including fever, headache, body aches, vomiting, swollen glands, and rashes. Eighty percent of all of those infected show no symptoms.

Mild infection signs and symptoms

About 20 percent of people develop a mild infection called West Nile fever. Common signs and symptoms include:

Fever

A headache

Body aches

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Fatigue

Skin rash