5 things you need to know about West Nile virus

A Clearwater man is the first confirmed human case of West Nile virus in Florida. The news comes just days after 23 sentinel chickens in Pinellas County Mosquito Control coops tested positive for the virus and the Health Department issued a mosquito advisory.

Five other cases of West Nile virus have been reported in Escambia, Walton and Volusia counties, but until now, folks in Florida had been spared from the virus that has hit hardest this year in California, Arizona and Texas.

Nationwide, more than 300 cases of West Nile virus have been reported in 2015, including 7 deaths.

Here are 5 things you need to know about West Nile virus according to Dr. Aileen Marty, professor of infectious diseases at the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine.

1. People typically get West Nile virus after being bitten by an infected mosquito that became infected after feeding on an infected bird. The most important mosquitos that transmit West Nile are of the Culex genus, and they are common in Florida. Besides mosquito bites, people can get infected through organ transplants, blood transfusions and from mother to baby during pregnancy, delivery and, possibly, breastfeeding.

2. You may not know you have it. Most people (75-80 percent) don’t develop symptoms. That means you have a 1 in 5 chance of getting sick after being bitten by a contaminated mosquito.

3. If you do get sick, common symptoms could range from a mild flu-like illness – high fever and chills, headache, backache, joint and muscle pain, pain behind your eyes, and a sense of the “I don’t feel goods”— to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, cough, sore throat, flushed face, red eyes and swollen lymph nodes, all the way to a potentially deadly and very serious invasive brain disease that can also affect the spleen, the liver and pancreas. Fortunately, less than one percent of people develop this invasive brain disease.

4. Your risk of developing severe disease increases with age and with serious or chronic medical conditions like a weakened immune system, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

5. There is no licensed vaccine for humans, and no specific treatment for West Nile virus. We can only treat the symptoms and provide supportive care.

“Prevention is your best defense,” says Marty. Check out her prior post “How to avoid mosquito bites” for some important do’s and don’ts.