West Nile Virus Essay

West Nile Virus is known as an arthropod-born virus, or an arbovirus, and are transmitted and sustained within blood feeding arthropods, such as the mosquito. The disease, while having no apparent effect on the host, is then transmitted as the mosquito takes a blood meal. As the source of infection, the mosquito or other blood feeding arthropod is known as a primary vector. However, because the life cycle of the mosquito is reletively short an additional host is needed to maintain the life cycle of the virus.

The main point of the press release is to notify the public that the West Nile Virus has surfaced and is active. One of the sub-points is to inform the public of the current case and the number of cases over the years of people who have been infected with the West Nile Virus. Another sub-point is to give the description and signs of the West Nile Virus. Another sub-point is to notify the public where the West Nile Virus is coming from. Another sub-point what is causing the mosquitoes to breed and how to prevent the breeding of the mosquitoes to notify the public that there are two types of West Nile Virus. The West Nile encephalitis and the West Nile poliomyelitis are the two viruses the press release also notified the public of the signs and symptoms of the west Nile virus. What to do and who to contact once bitten the press release gives a statistic of number of cases from 2002 to 2011 (2012). The press release also notifies the public who is at the highest risk to becoming ill with this type of virus. The press release also gives other website to seek out more information regarding the West Nile Virus.

What is West Nile Fever? West Nile fever also known as West Nile virus is a mosquito borne disease transferred from mosquito to person. Encephalitis is a disease that West nile virus can cause. What encephalitis does is it causes inflammation of the brain which in some cases can be fatal. The west Nile virus wasn’t discovered until 1937 in Africa. The disease didn’t make its way into the United States until 1999. The Virus is most common during the summer months (July- September) which is when mosquitos the carrier of the disease are most active. But in some states it is at risk all year round. Most people who are bitten and infected even receive the virus.

West Nile Virus is an infectious brain disease that rapidly spread across the United States in 1999. The virus was first identified and named by Smithburn and colleagues in 1937 while they were working in the West Nile district of Uganda. The scientists did not venture to Uganda to look for West Nile Virus, but were seeking cases of African sleeping sickness. Smithburn came across a serum of a 37 year-old woman suffering from fever. The woman was thought to have the protozoan. The test proved to be negative for that pathogen, but positive for a new viral entity- West Nile Virus. While mostly being reported in foreign countries, West Nile Virus has also found itself on United States soil. A total of forty seven states have reported cases of

In most cases encephalitis is misdiagnose as a flu because of its flu-like-symptoms. Most people, who has viral encephalitis, either present no symptoms and sings or present mild flu-like symptoms, such as headache, fever, aches in muscles and joints, fatigue, or weakness. However, people with a more severe infection of encephalitis may present more serious symptoms and sings, such as confusion, agitation, hallucinations, seizures, loss of sensation or paralysis in certain areas of the face or body, and problems with speech or hearing (Mayo Clinic

This journal talks about the different up-rise of the West Nile Virus during different years. The first introduction of the WNV into the U.S. was in 1999 following a surprise resurgence endemic in 2012. The number of human infections rose dramatically and peaking in 2002-2003. The WNV then declined from 2008-2011, but it is still nuclease if the virus would continue to have a low-level of endemic transmission patter with occasional outbreaks such as other viruses. This journal compares the WNV to other different virus outbreaks such as the

Encephalitis, also known as inflammation of the brain is a rare condition that causes an irritation, swelling of the brain and in most cases nerve damage. Viral and bacterial encephalitis can easily be mistaken as the flu with shocking long-term effects. In many cases, encephalitis does not last long and has a mild effect. “However, in some cases encephalitis can be life-threatening. About 10,000 to 20,000 cases of encephalitis are reported each year in the United States” (Ehrlich, 2014). There are two types of encephalitis that can infect the brain cells known as primary and secondary encephalitis. Primary encephalitis is when the viruses attack the brain through the blood stream and into the nerve cells; it is then grouped together and multiplies. After multiplying, it is spread throughout the brain. Secondary encephalitis is when the virus infects a person by first infecting the other tissues in the body and then attacks the brain. “Viruses that are transmitted from other tissues usually cause focal infection, meaning they produce extensive damage in only a small area of the brain” (Simon, 2014). Infants, children, and older adults are more likely to have severe cases because

According to the Vector Control District Manager Denise Bonilla, the initial detection of mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus has occurred a month ealier in 2016, as compared to last

The majority of persons infected with the JE virus tend to be asymptomatic. When symptoms do persist they can be seen as, high fever, fatigue, nausea, severe headache and can progress to seizures and coma. It is possible for some patients to experience a full recovery however, the virus is fatal in 30-40% of patients and 30-35% of patients can be left with either permanent or long term disabilities such as paralysis. JE has been known to infect mostly children and young adults. The incidence is lower in children under 3, possibly due to behavior factors such as being inside before dusk.

Infected mosquitoes transmit the infection. Transient viremia and dissemination occur when the virus is released from cells that will lyse (Ciota et al. 2013). If the infection causes encephalitis, it can be fatal, and the disease is debilitating. The virus can sustain for weeks after it infects the central nervous system or arthritis, but it is then eliminated by the immune system (Sim et al. 2014). The symptoms of this infection include light fevers, chills, rashes, aches, or flu-like symptoms. If it progresses to inflammation of the brain, it can affect all parts of the brain and it is very difficult to prevent encephalitis (Atkins et al 2012). The virus is not terminal in most people and the alphavirus can be eliminated by the immune system; however, if it affects the central nervous system or causes arthritis, the effects will sustain for several weeks (Schmaljohn et all 1996).

in 1947, the virus first revealed itself through the blood of a rhesus macaque located inside of the Zika forest. After its discovery, no evidence suggested that the virus could cause human diseases. Nevertheless, serosurveys were conducted in various regions of Uganda. Through these surveys, a 6.1% seroprevalence of antibodies against Zika virus was discovered. This added insight on to the frequency of human infection. This virus generally transmits through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. Individuals who contract this virus typically experience symptoms such as: “fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis.” The disease can often go

There are many debates on whether or not to use the chemical Malathion to eradicate mosquitoes that pose the threat of the West Nile Virus. In Winnipeg, the police had to detain the protesters (CBS News Canada July 20, 2005). The debate is whether or not the chemical can weaken the immune system and cause a

Climate change, natural disasters, and international travel have contributed to the development and rapid transmission of several infectious diseases. One of the many infectious diseases is West Nile Virus, which wasn’t introduced into the U.S population until 1999 (NRDC, nd). In the year 2005, there were over 16,000 cases of West Nile virus in the United States reported (NRDC, nd) and the disease continues to spread nation wide. West Nile is an infectious disease that is spread to a host by a vector – a mosquito bite. Mosquitoes thrive and are high in population in areas that contain water, extreme temperatures, and humid weather. Local governments have created preparedness strategies to combat infectious vector-borne diseases during times of climate change such as increasing disease surveillance, increasing outreach education, and heightening the response when a disease outbreak occurs (NRDC, nd).

Although throughout history only about 2% of humans infected happened to be fatal, the other 98% suffered through a wide variation of symptoms that focused on different aspects of the body1. In humans, Rift Valley fever can have an incubation period of 2 to 6 days with some patients showing no signs and a majority of the others suffering from flu-like symptoms, such as vomiting, headaches, limb pains, and diarrhea2. These minor symptoms can last from 2 to 7 days before the patient’s adaptive immune response is implemented and begins its fight against the virus, followed by a complete, or nearly complete, recovery2,3. Though these symptoms seem like common ailments that exist everywhere today and are practically harmless in the long run, Rift Valley fever has the potential to turn them into a lifelong nuisance.

In his article “Dengue Fever” John P. Cuhna describes Dengue fever, also known as “breakbone” or “dandy fever”, as, “a family of viruses that are transmitted through mosquitos”. This disease is very common in tropic and subtropic areas such as Brazil. Dengue Fever has no vaccination and the only way to prevent is to avoid getting bit by a mosquito that carries the disease. The disease comes from a mosquito known as the Aedes aegypti (Halstead, 2008). Since the climate and amount of rainfall are two key factors in the reproduction of the Aedes aegypti global warming and climate change have been playing a role in the dengue fever cases ( Halstead, 2008). This is a struggle for people who live in lower income and over populated areas since they have little to no form of protection and live in less cleanly areas. No one is exactly sure where dengue fever originated from but scientist recently proposed that it came from forests in Asia. Dengue fever has three stages; the first being the acute stage which can last from one to five days, the second is the critical stage which can last up to two to three days, and the last stage which is the recovery stage which is can last up to weeks.