The West Nile fever , the fever of West Nile (Africa, West Asia, Europe, Australia and America), is a disease caused by West Nile virus ( WNV ), a virus of the family Flaviviridae isolated for the first time almost in years’ 40 in Uganda, in the West Nile district.
The virus is carried by wild migratory birds and mosquitoes , whose bites are the main means of transmission for humans. Other, although rarer, documented means of infection are organ transplants, blood transfusions, and mother-to-fetus transmission in pregnancy.
West Nile fever is not transmitted from person to person through contact with infected individuals and, beware, it can also infect other mammals, especially horses, but also dogs, cats, rabbits and others.
Incubation and symptoms
The incubation period from the moment of the infected mosquito bite varies between 2 and 14 days, but it can also be 21 days in subjects who have deficiencies in the immune system.
Many infected people are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms that can last a few days such as:
- temperature
- headache
- nausea
- He retched
- swollen lymph nodes
- skin rashes
- redness of the eyes
- muscle aches
In the elderly and debilitated people, however, the symptoms can be more severe.
The most severe symptoms (for 1 in 150 people) are:
- high fever
- severe headaches
- muscle weakness
- disorientation
- tremors
- visual disturbances
- numbness and convulsions
For any eventuality, contact your doctor.
