West Nile Fever Cases Reported In Kerala; Know About Its Symptoms And Other Details
West Nile Virus (WNV) can cause neurological disease and death in people. Here is all you need to know
The Kerala government reported cases of West Nile fever from several districts such as Kozhikode, Malappuram, and Thrissur on Tuesday. Health officials have confirmed five cases of West Nile fever in Kozhikode district, news agency PTI reported.
Calling for awareness regarding the viral fever, spread by the Culex species of mosquitoes, the minister has ordered steps be taken for mosquito control by destroying their breeding grounds, the report added.
State health minister Veena George said districts had been asked to stay vigilant.
The minister said there was nothing to be concerned about, but requested people showing symptoms of the fever to seek immediate treatment.
In India, the death rate is low compared to Japanese encephalitis which has similar symptoms, the report said.
The health minister has recommended people wear clothes that cover their entire body, use mosquito repellents, and nets, and keep their surroundings clean as a precautionary measure.
The fever was first detected in Kerala in 2011. In 2019, a six-year-old boy from Malappuram died due to fever. Thereafter, in May 2022, a 47-year-old man died of the fever in Thrissur district.
Here is all you need to know about West Nile fever:
What is West Nile Fever?
West Nile Virus (WNV) is found in Europe, Africa, North America, the Middle East, and West Asia. This virus is transmitted between birds and mosquitoes and then to humans and other mammals like horses.
When an infected mosquito bites a human, the virus gets transmitted to the human where it can multiply and cause illness.
According to WHO, "West Nile Virus (WNV) is a member of the flavivirus genus and belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the family Flaviviridae."
The organisation said so far no cases of WNV have been documented with human-to-human transmission. Also, no healthcare workers have been reported with this illness when standard infection control precautions have been put in place. Transmission of WNV to laboratory workers has been reported.
Symptoms Of West Nile Virus
Fever, tiredness, headache, and body ache, vomiting, nausea, occasional skin rash (on the trunk of the body) and swollen lymph glands are common symptoms.
Headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, high fever, stupor, tremors, coma, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis are severe symptoms of this illness.
WHO said 20% of patients diagnosed with the virus are expected to develop West Nile fever.
One in 150 WNV-infected persons may suffer from a severe case of this disease. The incubation period for this illness is 3-14 days.
How To Prevent West Nile Virus?
Awareness is the best way to prevent the spread of this illness in the absence of a vaccine. People are advised to understand risk factors and stay vigilant.
A list of recommendations by WHO:
Reducing the risk of mosquito transmission. Efforts to prevent transmission should first focus on personal and community protection against mosquito bites through the use of mosquito nets, and insect repellent, light-coloured clothing (long-sleeved shirts and trousers) and avoiding outdoor activity at peak biting times. In addition, community programmes should encourage communities to destroy mosquito breeding sites in residential areas.
Reducing the risk of animal-to-human transmission. Gloves and other protective clothing should be worn while handling sick animals or their tissues and during slaughtering and culling procedures.
Reducing the risk of transmission through blood transfusion and organ transplant. Blood and organ donation restrictions and laboratory testing should be considered at the time of the outbreak in the affected areas after assessing the local/regional epidemiological situation.
Hospitalisation, intravenous fluids, respiratory support, and prevention of secondary infections are a few treatment alternatives for this illness.
